The gist of it: it’s an interesting pitch here by one of Korea’s renowned technologists, displays are the “eyes” to the “brains” of semiconductor devices. It’s also a self-serving message to policymakers because of how concerned Korean manufacturers are about China muscling in on their territory in OLEDs. It’s unlikely that the US can make a case for OLED technology as a security issue or of vital national importance, but with the present climate of confrontation with China, and an upcoming election that will no doubt escalate those behaviors, Korea’s display industry may be able to look forward to “assistance” in its quest to dampen down Chinese OLED capacity.
The Korea Times reports that growing concerns among Seoul and Washington policymakers have led them to consider OLEDs as critical national security assets. This view is supported by Hwang Chul-joo, Chairman and CEO of Jusung Engineering, a leading semiconductor and display parts supplier in Korea. Hwang emphasizes the importance of both semiconductors and displays in modern technology, likening them to an interdependent “brain” and “eyes” respectively.
Hwang, who has more than 3,000 patents to his name, particularly in the semiconductor equipment industry, warns of China’s growing ambitions in the OLED sector. He cautions that a domino effect could occur in the global supply chain if countries relying on Chinese OLEDs were impacted. The Korea Display Industry Association (KDIA) has projected that China will overtake Korea to become the world’s largest OLED producer by the end of the year. With this in mind, Hwang urges policymakers to closely monitor Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to LG’s OLED facilities in Guangzhou. He notes that regional Chinese governments have been supporting the establishment of OLED factories operated by LG Display and Samsung Display in several Chinese cities. These facilities produce highly advanced OLED displays, further highlighting the significance of the technology in today’s world.
