# East Asia Brief — Semiconductors & AI Hardware: South Korea

Memory, foundry, equipment and materials across Korea, China and Japan — and the export rules that bound them.

- [Korea chemical suppliers expand fluorinated etching gas purification capacity](https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/korea-chemical-suppliers-expand-fluorinated-etching-gas-purification-cap-88) — Domestic specialty producers scale distillation systems and validation protocols to supply 5N-grade fluorocarbons directly to wafer fabrication lines. *(August 28, 2026; Semiconductors · Korea · Foosung, SK Specialty, Soulbrain, Central Glass)*
- [Korea Foundries Shift 200mm Lines to Auto PMICs as EV Architectures Advance](https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/korea-foundries-shift-200mm-lines-auto-pmics-ev-architectures-80) — DB HiTek and SK keyfoundry reallocate mature 200mm wafer capacity toward high-voltage automotive power management ICs to counter consumer display margin… *(August 28, 2026; Semiconductors · Korea · DB HiTek, SK keyfoundry)*
- [South Korea funds advanced chip packaging and backside power pilot lines](https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/south-korea-funds-advanced-chip-packaging-backside-power-pilot-66) — The trade ministry establishes dedicated testbeds and research grants to close back-end gaps and scale next-generation wafer architectures for domestic… *(August 28, 2026; Semiconductors · Korea · Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Hanmi Semiconductor, Hana Micron, Nepes)*
- [Samsung Foundry converts mature planar lines to automotive power chips](https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/samsung-foundry-converts-mature-planar-lines-automotive-power-chips-53) — The Korean chipmaker is reallocating 200mm and trailing 300mm fab lines toward BCD and microcontroller processes to defend fab utilization. *(August 28, 2026; Semiconductors · Korea · Samsung Electronics)*

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Publisher: East Asia Brief — https://eastasiabrief.com/