Government Expresses "Great Concern" to US USTR Representative Over Semiconductor Business Information Requests

Yeohan Gu, Director General of Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Meets with Katherine Tai, U.S. USTR Representative

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The government expressed concerns about the United States' semiconductor supply chain data requests to Korean companies such as Samsung Electronics.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 6th that Yeo Hang-gu, the head of the Trade Negotiations Office, held a bilateral meeting with Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), in Paris, France, on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.

During the meeting, Director Yeo conveyed that the recent data requests by the U.S. Department of Commerce targeting semiconductor supply chain companies were extensive in scope and included numerous trade secrets, raising significant concerns domestically. The U.S. side responded that the measure was intended to address global semiconductor supply issues and that they would review Korea's concerns with relevant departments going forward.

Additionally, both sides agreed on the importance of the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC-12) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) scheduled for November, emphasizing the need to achieve tangible results in negotiations on fisheries subsidies and health issues related to COVID-19 response. They also agreed to continue cooperation in areas such as supply chains and technology trade, digital trade, vaccines, and climate change.

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