Washington, July 14 (FN Agency) South Korea and the United States are discussing ways to enhance semiconductor cooperation, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed US presidential official. “We’re also using various channels with the U.S. to discuss ways to strengthen semiconductor cooperation, but I don’t have anything to share at the moment regarding the detailed schedule,” the official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.
Since March, the United States and South Korea have been discussing the participation of the latter in a US-led chip alliance (the “Chip 4” or “Fab 4”), which would also involve Japan, Taiwan and two other semiconductor powerhouses, the news agency reported, citing a source in Washington. Working-level discussions are scheduled to begin in late August. In May, US President Joe Biden visited a Samsung semiconductor plant in South Korea, where he noted that there was a need to secure critical supply chains, so that “our economic and national security are not dependent on countries that don’t share our values.” The United States has been actively trying to strengthen technological cooperation with countries like South Korea and Japan and create semiconductor supply chains that allow it to bypass China.