Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the High-Pressure Gas Safety Control Act approved at Cabinet meeting

A semiconductor image [Herald DB]
A semiconductor image [Herald DB]

Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and other domestic chipmakers will be able to bring in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment up to 25 days faster than before, with the clearance period cut from 34 days to as few as nine.

The change is expected to help South Korean semiconductor companies acquire advanced manufacturing equipment on schedule, bolstering the industry's efforts to maintain a decisive technological lead.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the Cabinet approved an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the High-Pressure Gas Safety Control Act on Monday.

Under the revised decree, semiconductor manufacturing equipment that meets global safety standards will be reclassified from "general high-pressure gas manufacturing facilities" to "specified equipment," a less burdensome regulatory category. The ministry said the change will cut the time needed to bring in each EUV unit by up to 25 days and reduce pressure and leak inspection costs at overseas certified testing agencies by roughly 500 million won (about $362,000) per unit.

EUV equipment, which is indispensable to advanced chip fabrication, contains high-pressure gas piping and components and has until now been classified under existing law as a "high-pressure gas manufacturing facility." That designation required companies to undergo technical reviews and inspections each time they installed a new unit, a process that industry players said delayed equipment deployment and added to their costs.

The ministry held multiple rounds of consultations with the semiconductor industry to gather input and carefully examined the alignment between global safety standards and the domestic safety management framework before drafting the amendment, which shifts EUV equipment from the "high-pressure gas manufacturing facility" category to "specified equipment."

The ministry also advanced amendments to related ministerial rules alongside the decree. The changes establish tailored inspection standards to enable the first commercial rollout in South Korea of eco-friendly "liquid carbon dioxide cleaning systems," which use carbon dioxide instead of water and laundry detergent. The package also updates the criteria for appointing safety managers at lower-risk high-pressure gas facilities to better reflect current conditions.

The amendment will take effect immediately upon promulgation next week.

"This legislative revision is a prime example of regulatory innovation that simultaneously strengthens safety and boosts the competitiveness of advanced industries," Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan said. "We will continue to actively support investment in advanced industries through a rational safety management framework that meets global standards."


oskymoon@heraldcorp.com