[Interview] Semiconductor Expert Yu Woong-hwan "We Must Grow System Semiconductors Using Domestic Testbeds"

Interview with Yoo Woong-hwan, CEO of Korea Venture Investment

Securing System Semiconductors is Key to Gaining Leadership
Active Collaboration with Other Industries is Essential
Refer to US 'Soft Power' to Attract Talent

The cyclical semiconductor market in the semiconductor industry is set to enter a full-fledged upward phase next year. In particular, there is a forecast that the growth trend of the memory semiconductor market, which the domestic industry focuses on, could become clear. This means that domestic companies, which have been struggling since last year, will be relieved of significant concerns.

However, it is not possible to be completely at ease. To gain leadership in the global semiconductor competition, which has escalated into a hegemonic rivalry between countries, many challenges must be addressed. It is necessary to solve a complex equation by nurturing the weak link of the domestic semiconductor industry?the system semiconductor and its related ecosystem?while securing a large number of talents.

Yu Woong-hwan, CEO of Korea Venture Investment and a semiconductor expert with 28 years of experience at companies such as Intel and Samsung Electronics, said, "Handling system semiconductors means having the leadership to determine the specifications of all components that go into the system." He added, "Memory is just one component, and it cannot be developed without understanding the system, so expanding the domestic system semiconductor industry is essential."

Woonghwan Yoo, CEO of Korea Venture Investment /
[Photo by Korea Venture Investment]

He believes that to grow the domestic system semiconductor ecosystem and related markets, national and private investments from a long-term perspective must be activated. Also, since industries such as telecommunications, mobility, and IT are highly developed domestically, he explained that semiconductor companies should increase their attempts to collaborate with other industries.

CEO Yu said, "Korea is the optimal place as a testbed," adding, "There is infrastructure, people follow well, and feedback is relatively fast." He also emphasized, "Through collaboration, we need to predict future promising industries like autonomous driving and propose the necessary semiconductors first. By presenting the specifications (standards) first, we can outpace competitors and gain leadership."

He mentioned that in the process of raising the level of domestic semiconductor personnel and increasing the number of scarce talents, the example of Silicon Valley in the United States should be referenced. He explained that Korea should form 'soft power' like Silicon Valley. Here, soft power means valuing talents, creating appropriate performance and reward systems, and fostering a challenging and free organizational culture.

CEO Yu felt the power of soft power while working as a design engineer at Intel for 10 years after joining the company. During this time, he also received 40,000 stock options (currently worth about 2 billion KRW). He said, "The benefit structure in the U.S. is well designed, naturally fostering a sense of ownership," adding, "Even juniors at Google and Apple talk about this."

He explained, "People who dream of semiconductors should be given fair rewards proportional to the energy they invest and be able to look forward to tomorrow. If a social atmosphere is formed that values and recognizes the work employees do, talents will naturally gather."

Born in 1971, CEO Yu earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Kwangwoon University and a master's and doctorate in electrical and electronic engineering from KAIST. He joined Intel in 2001 and worked there for 10 years. Afterwards, he returned to Korea in 2011 following a recruitment offer from Samsung Electronics and has since worked at Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, and SK Telecom.

From March to May last year, he served as a member of the 20th Presidential Transition Committee and wrote semiconductor policy reports. Since September of the same year, he has been working as the CEO of Korea Venture Investment. Last month, he published a book titled Semiconductor Warfare, which contains his Silicon Valley experiences and advice necessary for the domestic semiconductor industry.

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