Korean chipmakers searching for alternate supplies of semiconductor materials: Reports

한국기업들, 반도체 소재 대체 공급처 확보 시도 시작..국내외 소식 잇따라South Korean companies are reportedly on the hunt for alternate sources of high-tech materials.It's a move deemed necessary following Japan's export curbs.For details let's turn to our Seo Eun-kyung.According to reports,... Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are searching for alternate sources of high-tech materials,... including efforts to localize their production in response Japan's export curbs.The latest reports from the foreign press... lend credence to speculation that Korean firm are looking into ways to reduce their dependence on Japan.Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei reported on Tuesday... that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix began conducting quality tests for etching gas... which does not originate from Japan.It said the Korean IT giants could produce semiconductors of the same quality... as the ones using Japanese-made etching gas... in about two or three-months' time.Another Japanese financial newspaper, Nihon Keizai,... also released a similar report,... while speculating that the supplier of the etching gas in question... could be from China, Taiwan or Korea.Meanwhile,... China's Shanghai Securities News reported on Tuesday that a Chinese chemical company, Binhua Group, had signed an agreement with Korean chipmakers to supply etching gas.Tokyo's export ban includes fluorinated polyimides, photoresists and etching gas... which are used for the production of chips and displays for smartphones and TVs.Korea is relatively less dependent on Japan for the supply of etching gas... compared to fluorinated polyimides and photoresists,... of which 90 percent are imported.According to the Korea International Trade Association,... China accounted for 46-point-3 percent of South Korea's etching gas imports... from January to May this year,... followed by Japan at 43-point-9 percent.This suggests that Beijing could satiate Korea's demand for etching gas,... even if supply from Japan was disrupted.Seo Eunkyung, Arirang News.