On a Sunday, the Financial Times reported that the U.S. ordered South Korea to advise its chipmakers not to fill any market gap in China if Beijing prohibits memory chipmaker Micron Technology Inc (MU.O) from exporting chips.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will meet with President Joe Biden in the U.S. on Monday.
Yoon’s April 24-29 state visit to the U.S. will mark the 70th anniversary of the countries’ partnership.
According to the FT, Washington pushed Seoul to persuade Samsung Electronics (005930. K.S.) and S.K. Hynix (000660. K.S.) not to increase sales to China if Beijing bans Micron.
China’s cyberspace authority announced a security review of Micron’s products in March. However, the chipmaker stated last month that it was complying with the Chinese authorities and operating normally.
The White House would not comment on the F.T. report but said the Biden and Yoon administrations have coordinated semiconductor investments, secured essential technologies, and addressed economic coercion.
The U.S. has restricted chipmaking technology exports to prevent China from developing military chips. It has blocked some of China’s major chipmakers, including Micron rival Yangtze Memory Technologies Co Ltd.
