Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang, on February 2, signed an investment cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Benjamin Loh, the CEO of ASM International, a world-leading Dutch headquartered multinational corporation specializing in design and manufacturing of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and semiconductor wafer processing equipment.

ASM will decide by this year whether to expand the R&D center and build a second ALD plant in Korea that will utilize new processes, which translates into large-scale investments totaling USD 100 million by 2025. The Ministry will be providing full support in the decision-making process, discussing incentives and resolving issues.

Talks on investment gained traction following the Ministry’s Deputy Minister for Trade and Investment visited the ASM headquarters in October last year, substantially enlarging the amount of investment and employment. Should the investment deal go through, Korea will be able to secure cutting-edge technology, stabilize the chip supply chain and advance exports.

During talks with ASM CEO Benjamin Loh, Minister Lee advanced the prospects of ASM’s collaboration with Korea, mentioning Korea's large investment share in the global semiconductor equipment industry as well as its portfolio of numerous global chip companies.

He stated that increased investment in ALD technology in Korea would not only expand the semiconductor equipment supply chain but also create a considerable level of synergy with domestic chip companies.

The Minister also relayed the Korean government’s willingness to cooperate by outlining domestic policies for developing and supporting the semiconductor industry.