S. Korea launches consultative body on defense semiconductor industry

South Korea launched a public-private consultative body on semiconductors used in defense systems Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen the local industry on such chips, the state arms procurement agency said. The body's first meeting took place at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's (DAPA's) office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, attended by experts from the government, universities, and semiconductor and defense companies. The committee is designed to come up with ways to develop the local defense semiconductor industry, one of the key tasks set forward by the presidential defense innovation committee. Personnel from Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest memory chip maker, and the country's sole fighter jet manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., attended the meeting as committee members, according to DAPA. The committee's launch comes as South Korea seeks to develop advanced weapons, while reducing its reliance on foreign semiconductors essential in military systems. DAPA said the majority of semiconductors used in South Korean weapons systems are produced overseas, raising the need to foster the local industry on such chips. Source: Yonhap News Agency