This study analyzes South Korea's strategic responses to Japan's 2019 export restrictions on three key chemicals vital to its semiconductor industry: fluorinated polyimide, photoresist, and hydrogen fluoride. Beyond filing a WTO complaint, South Korea pursued retaliatory actions—tightening trade regulations and initiating boycott movements—while strengthening its semiconductor sector through funding, tax incentives, and cross-sector collaboration. Employing a neo-Mercantilist framework and qualitative method, this research highlights how state-led industrial strategies serve as a tool of economic resilience and foreign policy, contributing to broader discussions in International Political Economy on government agencies in navigating trade disputes and securing technological sovereignty.
Asido Mac Kenzie Butar Butar (Thu,) studied this question.