"Need to Train 100,000 Talents"...Political Circles Deliberate Semiconductor Hegemony Strategy

'Min-Gwan-Hak Joint Response Forum' Hosted by Rep. Yang Hyang-ja on the 26th
Rep. Yang: "We Must Protect Korea's Semiconductor Technology Sovereignty... Prepare Additional Legislation"

Experts have reached a consensus that in order for the domestic semiconductor industry to gain competitiveness in the global semiconductor industry hegemony competition, a 'talent acquisition strategy' must be established. Since the United States announced the CHIPS and Science Act (CSA) last year to encourage domestic semiconductor investment, concerns among domestic companies have increased, prompting the political sphere to deliberate on countermeasures. Experts have proposed alternatives such as expanding semiconductor development policies and securing diplomatic capabilities, with particular emphasis on the government's importance of 'securing semiconductor talent.'

At the 'US Semiconductor Hegemony: Joint Response by the Public, Private, and Academic Sectors' forum held on the 26th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, hosted by independent lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja, various voices from the government, academia, industry, and political circles were heard focusing on this issue. The event attracted considerable attention as it coincided with President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to the US. Not only government agencies and academia but also lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, including Park Dae-chul, Ahn Cheol-soo, Song Seok-jun, and Cho Myung-hee from the People Power Party, Yoon Young-chan from the Democratic Party, and independent lawmaker Kim Hong-gul, attended and exchanged opinions.

Photo by Office of Representative Yang Hyang-ja

Lawmaker Yang said, "Semiconductors have become not just an advanced industry but a core technology and security factor that determines the fate of a nation," adding, "We will gather voices from academia and industry and protect South Korea's semiconductor technological sovereignty through additional legislation."

Professor Jung Deok-gyun of Seoul National University, who gave the first presentation of the day titled 'South Korea's Talent Acquisition Strategy in the Semiconductor War,' called for measures to nurture talent and prevent brain drain. Professor Jung pointed out, "It is predicted that there will be a demand for an additional 127,000 personnel domestically over the next 10 years, but the current supply scale is only 50,000," emphasizing, "The issue is where to supply and add the remaining 107,000."

Following him, Professor Kim Jeong-ho of KAIST stated, "I believe the (semiconductor hegemony) war could become a 100-year war," stressing, "Talent is absolutely necessary." Professor Kim presented a semiconductor R&D personnel status chart, noting, "Samsung Foundry has 20,000 personnel, Taiwan's TSMC has 60,000, and in system semiconductors, Samsung System LSI has 10,000, while the US's Qualcomm has 45,000 personnel," reiterating the need for talent development.

The lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties attending the event unanimously agreed on the importance of fostering the semiconductor industry.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker, said, "Science and technology used to be a matter of 'making a living,' but now it has become a matter of 'life and death,'" linking the US's response to China's potential invasion of Taiwan to the existence of TSMC. He also emphasized the importance of diplomacy. As a member of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Ahn said, "It is time for more experts to be positioned in the diplomatic field," highlighting the importance of 'science and technology diplomacy.' Ahn added, "Today's topic is South Korea's survival strategy caught between the US-China science and technology war," calling it "the most important issue among the various challenges facing our country."

Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Young-chan said, "I hope the ruling and opposition parties unite to find new paths for the semiconductor industry." Yoon noted, "With the recent emergence of ChatGPT, equipment costs are also increasing," adding, "It has become important to manage resources such as GPUs (graphics processing units). As AI semiconductors gain greater importance, semiconductors are both our national and future strategy, so I hope for intense discussions."

Photo by Office of Representative Yang Hyang-ja

During the subsequent open discussion, chaired by Lawmaker Yang, the head of the Semiconductor Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Lee Eun-joo, Director of the Fundamental Technology Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Lee Mi-yeon, Director of the Quantum Economic Diplomacy Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussed ways to establish South Korea's technological sovereignty.

Lawmaker Yang emphasized, "Recently, the US's Micron Semiconductor's demand to refuse supply substitution and the toxic clauses in the US semiconductor subsidy review criteria are significant infringements on sovereignty," adding, "It must be made clear that the government cannot force corporate decision-making by invoking free trade and the principle of separating politics and economy." He continued, "The government should bring to the negotiation table issues such as extending exceptions for domestic companies' semiconductor equipment imports to China using Korea's memory semiconductor hegemony as leverage, and re-examining the toxic clauses of the US CHIPS Act," concluding, "The most certain solution to avoid being swayed by the US and China is to become an overwhelmingly dominant semiconductor powerhouse."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.