SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - Germany is actively wooing South Korean semiconductor giants, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, to invest in its eastern region, pitching its robust microelectronics and photonics ecosystem as a key to global supply chain resilience.
During an investment briefing hosted at The Plaza Hotel Seoul on Tuesday, Elisabeth Kaiser, Minister of State to the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, emphasized the strategic potential for bilateral synergy.
"By establishing modern semiconductor manufacturing in Eastern Germany, we can combine Korea's technological strength with Germany as an industrial and research hub," Kaiser said. Noting that companies like Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Samsung Foundry set global standards in process and design technologies, she added that closer cooperation could accelerate the pace of innovation on both sides.
The push aligns with Europe's broader goal of achieving technological sovereignty amid growing global uncertainties. Kaiser highlighted that such investments are not only economically attractive but also make a critical contribution to the stability of global supply chains.
German officials also underscored the foundational role their domestic optics industry plays in the advanced semiconductor value chain. German Ambassador to South Korea Georg Wilfried Schmidt pointed out the complexities of the supply chain, noting that leading semiconductor equipment manufacturers like ASML rely heavily on German photonics and optical precision components, such as those from ZEISS.
Dr. Roman Kleindienst, head of the Microoptics business unit at ZEISS, echoed this sentiment during a subsequent panel discussion. Highlighting current limitations in semiconductor data transfer, Kleindienst stated that the bottleneck "can only be resolved by optics".
"Investing in optics and photonics is really investing in resilience and in the future," Kleindienst added.
The event, co-hosted by Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), the State Development Corporation of Thuringia (LEG Thüringen), and the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), aimed to showcase Eastern Germany—particularly the state of Thuringia—as a specialized, innovation-driven springboard for Korean high-tech firms seeking to expand their European footprint.
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