[South Korean Official: Facing Competition, South Korea Strives to Maintain Chip Industry Advantage] According to Deep Tide TechFlow, on August 6, South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Lee Chang-yang, stated that unless South Korea helps chip manufacturers accelerate investments, it risks losing its semiconductor industry advantage due to intensifying global competition. Lee Chang-yang mentioned that the global memory chip market is expected to grow to approximately $1 trillion by the end of this decade, with speed becoming a decisive competitive edge. He also added that since semiconductor customers rarely switch suppliers once they adopt a product, South Korea cannot afford to lose market share amid rapidly growing demand. Lee Chang-yang pointed out that South Korea currently holds about 65% of the global memory chip market share. He also warned against pushing for broader redistribution of industry profits. Lee Chang-yang emphasized that instead of discussing how to allocate windfall profits from the chip industry, policymakers should focus on helping companies reinvest their funds. (Jin10)