(JW Insights) May 29 -- South Korea will avoid capitalizing on China’s ban on Micron, seeing the move by Beijing as an attempt to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington, reported Bloomberg on May 28.

The South Korean government won’t encourage its memory-chip firms to grab market share in China lost by Micron Technology Inc., which has been barred for use in critical industries by Beijing on national security grounds, said a person familiar with the situation to Bloomberg.

China is the biggest market for South Korean semiconductor firms Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix and home to some of their factories. Their continued operations in China are dependent on licenses granted by Washington, giving the US some leverage over Seoul’s decisions on how it balances its economic engagement with both countries.

Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the US "won't tolerate" China's ban on purchases of Micron Technology memory chips and is working closely with allies to address such "economic coercion" on May 27, after a meeting of trade ministers in the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, said a Reuters report on May 28.

(Li PP)