19 October 2023
By MInseo Kim
The Israel-Palestine Hamas war could have an impact on Samsung Electronics. Israel is home to the factories of the global semiconductor company Intel, which produces central processing units (CPUs) supporting the latest DRAM from Samsung Electronics. If the Intel factory is shut down or production is reduced due to the war, the volume of DRAM exported may decrease. As a result, the IT industry in Korea is on edge.
This is also affecting employees in Israel. Samsung Electronics operates sales offices and a Research and Development (R&D) center called Samsung Research Israel. It employs hundreds of staff, including over 10 Korean employees. Fortunately, according to Samsung Electronics, there have been no reported injuries or harm to the employees.
The importance of Samsung Electronics' Israel R&D center is underscored by Chairman Lee Jae-yong's visit on September 28th, coinciding with the Chuseok holiday. Samsung Electronics places great significance on this facility for acquiring advanced future technologies. In addition, Samsung actively supports local innovative startups in Israel, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence and robotics, through its global investment subsidiary, 'Samsung Next.'
A Samsung Electronics spokesperson stated that local employees are currently working from home, remaining vigilant in preparation for emergency situations. They further added, ‘We will continue to follow the guidance of the Korean government. If the government issues an evacuation order, we will take measures for relocation or repatriation to neighboring countries.’
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