manufacturers of smartphones could soon be a collateral victim in the trade war between Japan and Korea. Last Thursday, the latter was released in South Korea its white list of twenty-four countries with which its companies can trade without restrictions. This decision carries the storm at the land of the Morning Calm: its electronics industry, including the giant Samsung, is partially dependent on suppliers in japan for its production. The title of the world leader in smartphones has given away nearly 6 % in a week.
On 1 July, Tokyo had struck a first blow, by prohibiting the export to Korea of the three materials indispensable to the semiconductor industry, including hydrogen fluoride. This gas, used in the production of semi-conductors, is also very toxic. Officially, Japan has taken such retaliatory measures, arguing that over the past five years, South Korea would have traded ...