South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled plans to inject 4.84 trillion won (approximately 25.16 billion yuan) into inorganic light-emitting diode (iLED) display technology development by 2032. This strategic initiative targets new growth drivers for the nation's display sector amid intensifying global competition. Funding will accelerate advancements in Micro LED, quantum dot, and nano LED technologies while cultivating domestic industrial ecosystems.
As the next-generation display solution, iLED outperforms current organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology in critical areas: operational lifespan, luminosity efficiency, and energy consumption. The Korea Display Industry Association concurrently pledged comprehensive support for both inorganic display R&D and ultra-differentiation OLED initiatives. Research priorities encompass epitaxial growth techniques, chip transfer and bonding systems, augmented/extended reality (AR/XR) high-resolution devices, and foundational infrastructure.
Despite maintaining OLED market leadership, South Korea trails significantly in iLED innovation, currently relying on imported LED chips and materials. A dedicated task force will coordinate all R&D operations and infrastructure development, focusing on inter-project synergy maximization, technology dissemination, and strategic supply chain construction. Projections indicate explosive market expansion for iLED displays—from $1 billion in 2026 to $32 billion by 2035.
Parallel ultra-differentiation efforts in OLED target mobile displays for extreme environments, silicon-based OLED (OLEDoS) for XR devices, and ultra-realistic light field technology. This dual-track strategy aims to establish technical barriers in emerging sectors like automotive and metaverse applications. Chinese display manufacturers have substantially closed the technology gap, now dominating global LCD markets while rapidly advancing OLED capabilities that erode Korean market share.
Countermeasure projects include ultra-thin high-reliability component architecture, next-generation large flexible panel designs, and premium OLED application development. Lee Dong-wook, Vice President of the Korea Display Industry Association, emphasized: "These R&D initiatives represent crucial breakthroughs for securing core technological sovereignty amid volatile global trade conditions."
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.