Kim Ki-nam, president of the Korean Academy of Engineering and a senior advisor at Samsung Electronics, identified a 'lack of urgency' as the cause of the crisis in the Korean semiconductor industry. Chairman Kim is a world-renowned expert in semiconductor device design and a key figure in Samsung Electronics' semiconductor innovation.
At a research results presentation of the Semiconductor Special Committee of the Korean Academy of Engineering held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on the afternoon of the 18th, Chairman Kim, when asked about solutions to the semiconductor industry's crisis, said, "In a word, we need to be a bit more urgent," and noted, "From technology to investment, policy, and all related support, there is a lack of urgency."
Chairman Kim added that "the semiconductor industry is a national competition," emphasizing that everyone involved in the semiconductor industry must be urgent.
In a speech during the ongoing presentation, Chairman Kim stated, "Semiconductors have become a key strategic asset that shapes the destiny of the nation, and the Korean semiconductor industry currently faces a crisis more severe than ever," and diagnosed, "The technological edge we enjoyed in the past is increasingly being challenged, and there is intense competition in new technological areas."
He emphasized, "There is always an opportunity in the midst of a crisis," adding, "Next-generation technologies represented by artificial intelligence (AI) will provide new opportunities for the semiconductor industry. What we need to focus on is to newly utilize Korea's information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and manufacturing competitiveness."
Chairman Kim remarked, "Just as we transformed the impossible into the possible while building a semiconductor myth in a semiconductor wasteland, we are entering a new era of challenges," and said, "The Academy of Engineering will concentrate all its efforts and spare no support for the resurgence of K-semiconductors."