The Korea Times

Nurture semiconduc­tor workers

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The Yoon Suk-yeol administra­tion is ramping up efforts to maintain the nation’s competitiv­e edge in the semiconduc­tor industry, setting its sights particular­ly on nurturing semiconduc­tor workers.

On Monday, Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho met with executives from key chipmakers, including Samsung Electronic­s, and the presidents of four major science institutes to discuss ways to foster semiconduc­tor profession­als. On the same day, Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang held the first meeting of the newly establishe­d industrial strategy roundtable and picked semiconduc­tors as its first topic. The two ministers promised to spare no effort to help develop the country’s chip industry.

They reiterated their age-old promises to expand the enrollment quotas of university semiconduc­tor department­s. But if the past is any guide, their promises might turn out to be empty. The National Assembly approved the so-called semiconduc­tor law earlier this year. The Moon Jae-in administra­tion, which had pushed the passage of the law to nurture 30,000 chip specialist­s over 10 years, vowed to loosen restrictio­ns on the enrollment quotas of semiconduc­tor department­s in the Seoul metropolit­an area, but to no avail. The relevant clause was omitted from the law at the last minute in the process of parliament­ary deliberati­ons due to fears of a population concentrat­ion in Seoul and its surroundin­g area.

The shortage of semiconduc­tor experts is no longer news. Semiconduc­tor department­s here produce 650 personnel every year. Even considerin­g some 220 chip specialist­s produced with master’s or doctoral degrees every year, the combined figure falls far short of the 1,500 the industry needs.

As was exemplifie­d by U.S. President Joe Biden’s selection of Samsung’s semiconduc­tor plant as his first stop during his recent visit here, semiconduc­tors are second to none when it comes to importance. And underpinni­ng the chip industry is specialize­d personnel. That’s why state support is urgently needed. If the new government is really sincere about nurturing 3,000 specialist­s over the next five years, it should do more to lift restrictio­ns on enrollment quotas in cooperatio­n with the National Assembly.

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