Skip to content

US tech warns Japan-South Korea spat could cause global harm

US tech warns Japan-South Korea spat could cause global harm

South Korean national flags fly at the International Horticulture Goyang Korea exhibition in Goyang, Gyeonggi province, South Korea, on Friday, May 10, 2019. The Bank of Korea faces rising speculation that it will reduce its benchmark rate from the current 1.75% when it meets July 18. The BOK forecast 2.5% economic growth for this year in April. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

US technology companies urged Japan and South Korea to negotiate a resolution to a dispute that threatens to up-end the global supply chain that the world’s top electronics brands rely on make their products.

Five of America’s largest tech industry groups including the Semiconductor Industry Association, which counts Qualcomm Inc. and Intel Corp. among its members, issued a joint letter to Japanese Economy Minister Hiroshige Seko and South Korean Minister of Trade Yoo Myung-hee.

They asked both sides to refrain from escalating their conflict, which flared after Japan slapped restrictions this month on exports to South Korea of three materials vital to the production of chips and cutting-edge screens.