Leading global semiconductor foundry, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), has announced on February 25, 2026, a significant restructuring of its executive leadership structure.

Display driver IC supplier Raydium reported its 2025 financial results, posting full-year revenue of NT$22.4 billion (approx. US$715 million), down 8.1% year-over-year. Gross margin was 28.5%, down 1.5pp, while operating net profit reached NT$1.52 billion, down 28.4% from a year earlier.

As the AI era accelerates, South Korea’s competitive position is weakening relative to China. Even semiconductors, long a pillar of the Korean economy, are now assessed as being in a state of co-opetition rather than clear leadership.

Unimicron held an investor conference on 25 February 2026. A day earlier, its board approved the appointment of UMC co-president SC Chien as chairman and group chief strategy officer. He will also join the Sustainable Development & Nominating Committee.

SK Hynix, one of the world’s top three memory chip makers, told investors on a recent Goldman Sachs conference call that the global memory market has fully shifted to a “seller’s market,” with prices expected to climb throughout 2026.

After the US Supreme Court ruled that tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unconstitutional, President Donald Trump reacted sharply, invoking Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act to impose a 15% tariff on global imports. The move has once again cast a shadow of uncertainty over US trade policy.