Companies in related sectors have united to make marine semiconductors a future growth engine for Busan. The Busan Metropolitan Government announced on the 20th that the “K-Marine Semiconductor Alliance” had been officially launched. Participants include HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, Samsung Heavy Industries, SK Key Foundry, and DB HiTek. The launch ceremony held the previous day was attended by executives and employees of the companies, Mayor Park Heong-joon, National Assembly member Jeong Dong-man, Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Yang Jae-saeng, and other key local figures.

The alliance was established to help Busan leap forward as a “next-generation global hub city for marine semiconductors.” A city official explained, “By linking the shipbuilding and marine industries with the semiconductor industry, the alliance will work to internalize core technologies.”

The city plans to operate the K-Marine Semiconductor Alliance in connection with national semiconductor policies and strategies for the shipbuilding and marine industries. In particular, in line with the government’s semiconductor industry development policy, the Southern Region industrial innovation strategy, and shipbuilding and marine digital transformation policies, the city aims to attract large-scale national projects and expand private-sector investment simultaneously.

As a first step, the city has set a goal of creating an innovation belt that links the Gi-jang-gun power semiconductor specialized complex, the Yeongdo Boost Belt, and the Haeundae Second Centum Urban Convergence Special Zone, and of nurturing marine semiconductor industrial complexes in stages so they can enter the world’s top 30. The city expects that, if this plan is realized, it will not only advance the regional industrial structure and create quality jobs, but also enable the localization of marine semiconductor technologies and the stabilization of supply chains.

The city will also begin in earnest to build a next-generation marine semiconductor supply chain led by the private sector. A city official said, “Semiconductor companies will be responsible for designing and producing system and power semiconductors suitable for marine environments, while shipbuilding companies will serve as demand sources for domestically produced marine semiconductors and as testbeds for mass-production verification.”

To this end, the city plans to promote a range of policy and financial support measures, including △ attracting and supporting the National Growth Fund △ investment attraction subsidies of up to KRW 33 billion △ tax benefits arising from designation as an Opportunity Development Special Zone. The city also intends to operate the alliance as a regular consultative body to identify joint projects and expand international cooperation. Through these efforts, it aims to promote higher value-added in the marine industry, expand application fields for the semiconductor industry, and further advance the regional industrial structure and create quality jobs.

Mayor Park said, “Busan is serving as a key base for the Southern Region semiconductor innovation belt, built on public infrastructure for power semiconductors,” adding, “The K-Marine Semiconductor Alliance is the first step in extending the application fields of the Republic of Korea’s semiconductor industry to the marine sector and a model case of public-private cooperation. It will become a turning point for Busan to rise as a globally recognized center for marine semiconductors.”

Popular News