South Korea's economy relies heavily on semiconductor exports... and local chipmakers are bracing for rivals from China. <br />And a latest report shows... that China's technology in the field will surpass Korea's in the future. <br />Our Ko Roon-hee explains. <br />Researchers at Hyundai Research Institute have warned that Korea's semiconductor industry is expected to face increased pressure from Chinese rivals.<br /><br />Although the report released on Sunday did not provide a timeline of when this will happen, it says local companies' market share in the global chip industry will decrease at a faster rate... if special countermeasures aren't prepared.<br /><br />This comes after Beijing's moves to dominate hi-tech industries, including semiconductors, by increasing investment. <br /><br />This is part of Beijing's 'Made in China 2025' goals... aimed at increasing the domestic content of core components.<br />Although the movement has been hit by the U.S.-China trade war, previous plans include... increasing the proportion of home-made chips so they account for 40 percent of the local market by 2020, and at least 70-percent by 2025.<br /><br />Meanwhile, a separate report by research firm TrendForce shows that China's semiconductor industry revenue will grow by more than 16-percent in 2019.<br /> Although this marks the slowest pace in 5-years because of the continued trade conflicts, the report says the local chip industry will continue to grow... thanks to emerging technologies like AI, 5G, and autonomous vehicles. <br />Ko Roon-hee, Arirang News. <br />
