China's technology surpassing Korea?

[Anchor]

Made in China. When we think of products made in China, what comes to mind first are cheap and cost-effective products.

However, this may no become an inaccurate perception.

The status of "Made in China" and "Made in Korea" are changing rapidly.

Reporters Ha Nuri and Park Kyung-jun have the report.

[Report]

Thinner "than Samsung"

[“We now present the industry's first 8.93mm foldable phone."]

The Chinese smartphone that folds one more time than Samsung's.

[“This is the world's first tri-fold smartphone.”]

This Chinese brand, while having its pros and cons, claims that its camera is better than Samsung's.

It boasts that it can replace both Apple and Samsung.

What about its internal aspects?

[Sherum Mokhtari/SmartphoneTechnician: “And it's now produced by a Chinese manufacturer (instead of existing SK Hynix chips).”]

This is a different approach compared to Samsung Electronics, which uses Qualcomm chips from the U.S. in its latest Galaxy smartphones.

Samsung has also frozen the prices of its new products, while Chinese companies are launching more expensive products, going head-to-head.

[YouTuber Techmong: “It seems like we have entered an era where we need to compare and benchmark even Chinese smartphones.”]

The global shipment volume of Chinese smartphones ranks 3rd, 4th, and 5th after Samsung and Apple.

Riding this momentum, they have launched the latest smartphones in the Korean market.

[Domestic Chinese smartphone user: “Out of curiosity for new things, (Chinese products) are being released with large-capacity batteries. More people are choosing officially released products.”]

While 'security issues' remain, if they strengthen exports to Korea to avoid U.S. tariffs, the domestic market could change significantly.

[Cho Young-moo/Researcher at LG Economic Research Institute: “Just as we caught up and overtook Japan, China has caught up to us. If they gain recognition in the Korean market, I believe it can have a significant impact on consumers in other countries as well.”]

"Made in China" is now preparing to target the Korean market not only with 'cost-effective' products but also with high-end goods.

There are growing concerns that Korean products may be fenced in by Chinese products in terms of both price and performance.

This is KBS News, Ha Nuri.

[Report]

In the past, such Korean products were made cheaply in Chinese factories using our technology.

This is also changing.

A reversal phenomenon is occurring where Chinese technology is being used for production in Korean factories.

This is a car factory in Busan.

In January, the facility was extensively revamped to start producing electric vehicles.

The first electric vehicle to be released in the second half of the year is the Polestar 4, which has the Chinese Geely Group as its largest shareholder.

[Maximilian Missoni/Polestar Design Director/2023: "We have created a new breed combining the sportiness and elegance of a coupe, with the space and comfort of an SUV."]

The first year's production will be entirely for export to North America.

If it is produced in Korea it becomes "Made in Korea", instead of "Made in China", becoming a workaround to avoid the 100% tariff rate on Chinese electric vehicles.

[Cho Sung-dae/Director of Trade Research at the Korea International Trade Association: “Producing domestically (in China) and exporting directly to the U.S. has concerns regarding tariffs, so they are circumventing that by going through a third country.”]

A small company mainly making cooking robots is also serving as a production base for Chinese companies.

They receive support for systems, technology, and parts from China's top collaborative robot company to create finished products.

China is ahead enough to dominate the global consumer robot market.

[Domestic Robot Company Representative: “China has already reached a high level, and I think it is absurd to say, but we are learning from the bottom up.”]

Last year, China's direct investment in Korea amounted to 8.4 trillion won.

This is more than 3.5 times the amount in 2023.

With solid capital and advanced technology, China has begun turning our country as a production base beyond just subcontracting.

This is KBS News, Park Kyung-jun.