[일본오늘] Japan’s export restrictions are poisoned by the country… Influence on the localization of hydrogen fluoride in Korea

Korean imports of hydrogen fluoride from Japan decreased by 75%
Succeeded in localizing hydrogen fluoride… Japanese companies lose tens of billions

(Sisa Today, Sisa ON, Sisa On = Reporter Jeong In-young)

It was analyzed that the Japanese government’s trade and export restrictions in Korea were a serious blow to Japanese companies. It is said that the localization of semiconductor materials in Korea is rapidly progressing due to export restrictions, and the arrow has turned to Japanese companies.

7 days <니혼게이자이신문>Citing data from the Korea International Trade Association, reported that “in 2020, Japanese imports of hydrogen fluoride from Korea decreased by 75% compared to the previous year.” This is a 90% decrease compared to before the Japanese government’s export control measures.

In July 2019, in retaliation for the Korean Supreme Court’s ruling to compensate workers for compulsory conscription, the Japanese government reinforced export restrictions on three semiconductor and display materials: hydrogen fluoride, photoresist, and polyimide. In particular, high-purity hydrogen fluoride is an essential material for the semiconductor and display industries, which are Korea’s flagship industries, and it is expected to cause considerable damage to Korean companies that have been imported and used from Japan for a long time as they regulate it.

However, after export restrictions, Korea’s dependence on Japanese hydrogen fluoride has declined sharply. According to data from the Korea International Trade Association, imports of hydrogen fluoride to Japan decreased from 3026 tons in June 2019 to 0 tons in August immediately after export restrictions. After resuming imports in December of the same year, the amount of imports increased to 793 tons, but it is still showing a big difference from before export restrictions. The average monthly import volume in 2020 remained at 400 tons.

Instead, Korean companies started localizing hydrogen fluoride. ‘Solbrain’, invested by Samsung Electronics, has begun supplying ultra-high purity hydrogen fluoride at a level similar to that of Japanese companies.

Eventually, Japanese companies that produce hydrogen fluoride suffered damage. In particular,’Stella Chemifa’ and’Morita Chemical Industry’ were hit hard. Statistically, the decrease in sales in Korea is about 6 billion yen (about 64 billion won) per year. Stella Chemifa’s fiscal year 2019 (April 2019-March 2020) shipments of hydrogen fluoride for semiconductors and displays declined 26% from the previous year.

Meanwhile, shipments of photoresist and polyimide, which were subject to export restrictions along with hydrogen fluoride, did not decrease due to the Japanese government’s haste for export permits.

About this <니혼게이자이신문>“In Japan, four months have passed since the birth of a new government, and the issue of export restrictions in Korea has become a thing of the past due to the response to Corona 19. In the meantime, the localization of high-tech materials has been steadily progressing in Korea thanks to Japanese export restrictions. ”

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