The South Korean truck Union's mass strike has entered its third day, and began to interrupt the supply of materials needed to produce chips. Just a day ago, truck drivers had blocked the supply routes of car manufacturers. According to the Korea economic daily, in an internal memo obtained by the media, the Ulsan branch of the General Federation of Democratic Labor Unions suggested that trade union members "focus on the import and export of LS Nikko copper and Korea zinc, which supply raw materials to Samsung Electronics".
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Ls Nikko copper and Korea zinc produce ultra pure sulfuric acid (PSA) in Ulsan. Semiconductor manufacturers use this acid to clean silicon wafers. The memorandum stressed that a two pronged approach would be taken to protest against the automotive and semiconductor industries.
Fortunately, industry insiders generally predict that the strike will not affect semiconductor production due to sufficient inventory.
In an interview with the Korea economic daily, a relevant person in the semiconductor industry said, "after the COVID-19 and the Ukrainian war, the Korean semiconductor industry has been committed to the diversification of the supply chain." "It is very unlikely that the truck drivers' strike will affect the production line."
However, an industry insider also said that trade union members will also try to restrict the supply flow to other semiconductor ecosystems. If the strike continues for a long time, supply disruptions and price increases will be inevitable.