South Korea’s minister of trade and industry warned Seoul risks losing its semiconductor advantage unless it helps chipmakers accelerate investment amid intensifying global competition. He said the global memory-chip market could expand to about $1 tln by decade-end and that speed will be decisive; because customers rarely switch suppliers once they adopt a product, South Korea — which accounts for roughly 65% of the global memory market — cannot afford to lose share. The minister cautioned agai

2026-08-06

South Korea’s minister of trade and industry warned Seoul risks losing its semiconductor advantage unless it helps chipmakers accelerate investment amid intensifying global competition. He said the global memory-chip market could expand to about $1 tln by decade-end and that speed will be decisive; because customers rarely switch suppliers once they adopt a product, South Korea — which accounts for roughly 65% of the global memory market — cannot afford to lose share. The minister cautioned against broad redistribution of industry profits and urged policymakers to focus on helping firms reinvest windfall gains.