China’s semiconductor catch-up has advanced faster than South Korean academia and industry expected, with the perceived technology gap narrowing from more than five years to roughly three years, according to a roundtable convened by the JoongAng Ilbo on the 14th. Seoul National University Chair Professor Hwang Cheol-seong, Sungkyunkwan University Professor of Chemical Engineering Kwon Seok-joon and Hanyang University Professor of Chinese Studies Baek Seo-in said China was moving from quantitative expansion toward a qualitative leap. China’s universities and research institutes are already working on next-generation technologies that are not yet commercially viable, while graduates with that experience are entering companies including ChangXin Memory Technologies, or CXMT. U.S. sanctions have also pushed Chinese companies toward domestic semiconductors and tighter industry-academia cooperation. The experts urged South Korea to accelerate the Yongin semiconductor cluster, expand university research infrastructure, establish government-funded shared fabs and avoid using semiconductor policy primarily for regional development. Existing industry initiatives include SK hynix’s 860 billion won ($635 million) Trinity Fab, scheduled to begin supplier testing in 2027, while Korean groups continue to seek a government-backed collaboration model similar to Belgium’s Imec. China’s broader manufacturing ecosystem, rising memory capability and control of rare-earth processing are increasing supply-chain risks for South Korea, whose response experts say should combine a lead in semiconductors, shipbuilding and defense with stronger positions in AI, advanced materials, batteries and nuclear power.