South Korea’s display industry rebounds to US$10 billion in 1Q25, mixed outlook for 2H25

The Korea Display Industry Association (KDIA) reported that the combined revenue of South Korean panel companies reached US$10 billion in the first quarter of 2025, marking a return to the billion-dollar milestone after three years. This growth was primarily driven by increased demand for high-end OLED panels and customers placing early orders due to concerns over US tariffs.

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GM weighs South Korea exit as “Yellow Envelope” law passes

On August 24, 2025, South Korea’s National Assembly officially passed amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, otherwise known as the “Yellow Envelope” bill. Spearheaded by South Korea’s current ruling party, the bill has caused significant concern in the country’s industrial sector, with potential unrest brewing in its aftermath.

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Samsung and SK Hynix waiver revoked: Korean chipmakers hobbled, China memory benefits

The Trump administration has revoked long-standing exemptions that allowed Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to use US equipment freely at their chip plants in China, a move that has jolted South Korea’s semiconductor industry. Analysts warn the decision could prevent the companies from migrating to advanced nodes and undermine their ability to expand or upgrade local operations.

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Hotai Motor sticks to 2025 sales goal despite profit slide and policy headwinds

Taiwan’s auto market has entered a deep freeze in 2025, with industry leaders pointing to ongoing tariff uncertainties as a major source of disruption. At an investor briefing on August 27, 2025, Chih-Wei Lai, Director and Spokesman for Hotai Motor Co., Taiwan’s largest automobile distributor, said that while market conditions remain challenging, the company’s flagship brands — Toyota and Lexus — have expanded their combined market share by 6 percentage points year-over-year through July 2025.

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SMIC tightens grip on Beijing unit in latest wave of China wafer fab mergers

China’s SMIC said it will acquire the remaining 49% stake in its subsidiary, SMIC North Integrated Circuit Manufacturing (Beijing), also known as SMIC North, through an issuance of A-shares in renminbi. The deal will give SMIC full control of the Beijing-based unit and underscores the broader consolidation trend reshaping China’s semiconductor foundry sector, according to a filing in late August.

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APCB faces pressure after capacity reduction, eyes boost from DDR5, optical modules in 2026

Taiwan-based PCB manufacturer APCB is launching two new products in 2025, following significant capacity downsizing in 2024. However, the company noted that the new QSFP optical module boards and DDR5 R-DIMM memory module boards have yet to reach mass production, and their contribution to revenue remains limited. Contributions are expected to significantly increase in 2026, potentially becoming a key growth driver for the company’s operations.

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Taiwan EMS embraces startup collab, Innolux, Compal lead the way

In response to the threat of tariffs from the Trump administration, Taiwan’s electronics contract manufacturing industry has been expanding into the US, adding to its already vast footprint across China, ASEAN countries, India, and Mexico. Since contract manufacturing often generates revenues in the trillions of New Taiwan Dollars, companies in this industry have usually overlooked startups that have capital in the mere millions, or even just several hundred thousand New Taiwan Dollars.

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