The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has announced a move to simplify import customs procedures for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines used in semiconductor manufacturing. This initiative aims to support the competitiveness of the country's thriving chip industry.

According to a revised enforcement decree of the High-Pressure Gas Safety Control Act, approved by the cabinet, the import processing period for EUV equipment will be reduced from the previous 34 days to approximately 9 days.

The ministry stated that this new policy will benefit major domestic chipmakers, enabling them to install and commission advanced chip production equipment more rapidly.