Korean Semiconductor Industry Compared to Baseball
“Innovate by Finding the Weaknesses of Powerful Nations Through Cooperation”,
President Song Jae-hyuk of Samsung Electronics giving his inaugural speech at the Semiconductor Industry Association meeting held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, on the 5th. Photo=Kang Hae-ryeong,
, ‘[Seoul Economic Daily] ‘,
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, ‘Song Jae-hyuk’, of Samsung Electronics(005930), ‘has been elected as the new head of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association. As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Device Solutions (DS) division, Song emphasized that with strong cooperation within Korea’s semiconductor ecosystem, new innovations could be made by exploiting the weaknesses of semiconductor powerhouses like the US, China, and Japan.’,
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, ‘On the 5th, the Semiconductor Association held the 2025 general meeting at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, electing Samsung Electronics’ President Song Jae-hyuk as the new chairman.’,
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, ‘The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association is the nation’s largest industry organization. It seeks the development of the domestic semiconductor industry and serves to publicly address and consult on industry issues. Its members number around 270 and include leading domestic semiconductor firms like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as well as global companies such as Lam Research (USA), Tokyo Electron (TEL, Japan), Jusung Engineering, and Dongjin Semichem, among others that deal with semiconductor materials, parts, equipment (materials, components, equipment companies), and chip design firms (fabless).’,
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, ‘Since joining Samsung Electronics in 1996, the new chairman Song has served in various roles such as DRAM PA team, Memory Manufacturing Center, Flash Development Office, and currently holds the positions of CTO of the DS division and head of the Semiconductor Research Center. He is recognized for playing a pivotal role in advancing the domestic memory industry, having focused on semiconductor technology development for 30 years.’,
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, ‘In his inaugural address, President Song emphasized the importance of cooperation within the domestic ecosystem and nurturing talent. He stated, “I will strive to create an environment where companies, from materials, components, equipment firms to large corporations, can cooperate organically, accelerating innovation in the semiconductor field.” He added, “We will also expand tailored education programs to ensure a steady supply of specialized personnel fundamental to the industry, actively fostering the core talent companies require.”’,
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, ‘He noted a strong correlation between the Korean baseball and semiconductor industries, saying, “Nations strong in semiconductors like Korea, Japan, the US, Taiwan, and European countries like the Netherlands and Belgium are also strong in baseball.” President Song recalled, “Korea surprised the world by reaching the finals in the 2009 WBC tournament, outstripping these advanced countries.”’,
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, ‘President Song concluded, “Similarly, in the semiconductor industry, if Korea identifies and targets the weaker and overlooked areas among the various fields dominated by the great powers, it could achieve future technological innovations. The Korean semiconductor industry can build its prowess to the level of Team Korea reaching the WBC finals 20 years ago.”’,
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