South Korean Government Research Articles

Hybrid solar photovoltaic-wind turbine system for on-site hydrogen production: A techno-economic feasibility analysis of hydrogen refueling Station in South Korea's climatic conditions

The South Korean government has an ambitious policy to roll out hydrogen-powered vehicles across the country with 2000 hydrogen refueling stations (HRSs) infrastructure by 2050. However, the country currently lacks sufficient HRS infrastructure. In this context, this study proposes and investigates the technoeconomic feasibility and performance assessment of an optimal hybrid renewable energy system integrated with a vanadium redox flow battery for on-site hydrogen production. The system is designed to refuel a fleet of 20 fuel cell electric vehicles at seven South Korean locations with distinct climates. Based on the typical daily hydrogen and electric load profile of the HRS, the capital expenditure, net present cost, operation expenditure, levelized cost of hydrogen and levelized cost of energy were estimated to be, $5.95 - $13.2 M, $8.93 - $19.4 M, 82,670–202,184 $/yr, 8.77–19.1 $/kg and 2.1–4.58 $kWh, respectively.

Eksplorasi Minat Warga Korea Selatan terhadap Batik Indonesia

Globalization is a world development phenomenon where everything can be achieved instantly and makes things easier for humans in everything, whether in the use of technology or information obtained in gaining knowledge with just one click. However, in the 20th century, the development of this phenomenon became increasingly rapid and global. This is due to advances in technology and the ease with which information can be obtained via the internet which is used by almost all people in the world. Indonesian people take advantage of this phenomenon in distributing and introducing traditional Indonesian culture to foreign countries, especially South Korea. One of the Indonesian cultural products that can be exported is Indonesian batik which has been recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.This research aims to analyze the impact of globalization on Indonesian batik export opportunities to South Korea. This research uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. The object of research is Indonesian batik which has successfully attracted the attention of the people in South Korea. This data was collected through interviews with local South Korean residents, observations, and literature studies.The research results show that globalization has had a positive impact on batik export opportunities in Indonesia. This can be seen from the increasing consumption of Indonesian products in South Korea and the interest of the South Korean people in learning Indonesian and its culture. Apart from that, through this research, other factors were found that influence the export opportunities of Indonesian batik to South Korea, including the quality of Indonesian batik, Indonesian and South Korean government policies, as well as the promotion of Indonesian batik in South Korea. Therefore, Indonesian business people need to take advantage of this opportunity to increase Indonesian batik exports to South Korea.

포로에서 민간인으로 - 한국전쟁기 유엔군 포로수용소의 민간인 억류자 심사·분류·석방 과정

This paper aims to reconstruct the process of screening, classifying, and releasing Civilian Internees held in UN prisoner-of-war (POW) camps during the Korean War, highlighting how this process was closely intertwined with the UN Command’s POW repatriation policy. In these camps, not only communist POWs were held, but also civilians who were mistakenly detained as refugees, conscripted volunteers who had been forcibly drafted by the North Korean army in the South, and former South Korean soldiers. The South Korean government, focusing on the conscripted volunteers from the South, demanded the prompt release of approximately 40,000 individuals. However, the UN Command delayed their release in preparation for the ongoing armistice negotiations. After about a year from the first screening, in July 1951, the UN forces, as part of preparations for POW negotiations, reclassified around 39,500 South Korean POWs as Civilian Internees and excluded them from the POW exchange lists with the communist forces. However, when the communist side insisted on including these individuals in the exchange lists, causing delays in the negotiations, the UN Command conducted an additional screening to determine repatriation based on the internees’ voluntary decision. Ultimately, in 1952, approximately 30,000 Civilian Internees refused repatriation and were released to various regions in South Korea, while around 9,000 were repatriated to North Korea after the signing of the armistice agreement in 1953. The fluctuating handling of Civilian Internees between voluntary and forced repatriation demonstrates how the POW repatriation principles of both sides, while publicly emphasizing their ideological merits, were in practice shaped by rapidly shifting political demands and the situation within the camps.

How bureaucratic competition shapes foreign aid allocation: The case of South Korea's aid agencies

AbstractWhat explains aid allocation–donor interests or recipient needs? This research debate has generated a number of studies, which generally conclude that both motivations matter. One limitation of this literature is that donor governments are conceptualized as unitary actors with coherent preferences. In this study, we relax this assumption and focus on the interests and interactions of bureaucratic agencies within a donor government. We argue that these agencies compete as they seek to control a larger share of the foreign aid budget because foreign aid is a valuable policy instrument for bureaucratic agencies. This competition results in emulation: the agency that leads the government's development cooperation policy emulates other agencies' provision of domestic benefits, while the lead agency's competitors mimic its aid allocation patterns. We test our expectations using data on bilateral aid disbursed by four bureaucratic agencies of the South Korean government and find evidence of both types of emulation strategies. Our results point to the role played by a mostly overlooked group of domestic‐level actors in donor countries and the importance of bureaucratic politics and competition.

Fear of COVID-19 on Social Media: The Mediating Roles of Online Social Support and Disclosure of Information in South Korea

To minimize the spread and fear of COVID-19, the South Korean government disclosed detailed location-based information about confirmed cases. Information regarding the confirmed cases was then maliciously distributed on social networking services (SNS). Few studies have investigated how the fear of COVID-19 and the disclosure of information in confirmed cases affect intention on online behavior, despite SNS being a space where people can express themselves with high social support. An online survey was conducted in South Korea. People who feared contracting COVID-19 had a negative perception of not only self-disclosure but also information disclosure by others. However, the perceived online social support could overcome the fear of infectious diseases and encourage active engagement to disclose information. The disclosure of information about confirmed cases impacted social support and self-disclosure intentions. This study contributes to the literature on information disclosure for public health purposes in the online environment during the fear of the epidemic. The world government and future social media platform companies should develop a specific process of information disclosure to manage the fear of public behavior.

Comparing the environmental impacts of pollution from two types of industrial zones on the coast

IntroductionThe construction of coastal industrial zones has significantly impacted the marine environment, with the extent of these effects varying based on the type of industrial activity. This study compares the environmental impact of two prevalent types of industrial zones along South Korea’s coast: ironworks and shipyards.MethodsWe assessed heavy metal pollution near these industrial zones using the Pollution Load Index (PLI) and Nemerow Pollution Index (Pn). To evaluate the impact of heavy metals and organic matter on macrobenthic communities, we employed redundancy analysis (RDA) and Spearman correlation analysis. Additionally, we used the AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), Multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), and Benthic Pollution Index (BPI) to gauge the ecological quality of the affected marine environments.Results and discussionOur findings indicated that the biodiversity and abundance of species near shipyards were significantly lower than those near ironworks. Results of PLI and Pn revealed that the ecological risk posed by heavy metals from shipyard activities was significantly higher than from ironworks. The AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), Multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), and Benthic Pollution Index (BPI) demonstrated that the ecological quality of Asan Bay (ironworks) is better than that of Dangdong Bay (shipyard). RDA analysis identified Lumbrineris longifolia, Ancistrosyllis hanaokai, and Theora fragilis as biological indicators for assessing heavy metal and organic matter pollution. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that BPI and species richness index are effective indicators for evaluating such pollution. Overall, the negative impact of shipyards on the marine environment was significantly more significant than that of ironworks. Our study provides valuable insights for the South Korean government in managing coastal industrial zones and formulating relevant policies.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF IMPLEMENTING NET ZERO POLICIES IN KOREA: A COMBINED TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP APPROACH

The South Korean government aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Here, this study analyzed the economic efforts of the net-zero policy by integrating top-down and bottom-up models; The UNIfied Climate Options Nexus (UNICON) within this study aims to create a link between the 26 sectors from the bottom-up model and the 85 sectors of the top-down model. Positive mathematical programming methods were used to ensure consistency between the top-down and bottom-up models within the base year. The study found that the total reduction rate was slightly higher in the integrated model than in the computable general equilibrium (CGE) stand-alone model. In both models, the reduction rate increased when the carbon tax increased, but the marginal reduction rate was considerably lowered, and the reduction rate did not exceed 80% even with the high level of a carbon tax. The technological change of the linked industries in the integrated model showed that the steel industry had the highest emission reduction. When estimating costs for reducing GHGs, results can vary based on the technological changes under consideration.

The Mobilization Clinic: The Legacy of the Korean Developmental State in the KoreaAID Project in Ethiopia

KoreaAID, the new international development initiative of the South Korean government, was launched in Ethiopia in 2016 during the Park, Geun-Hye administration. Despite their critical stances towards promoting the Korean developmental state model in Ethiopia, Korean aid workers voluntarily sacrificed individual life and morality by mobilizing a vast number of their partners and rural residents who had collaborated in the New Village Movements and family planning projects they had implemented in Ethiopia. I examine calculative rationalities and mobilizations via mobile medical units as the legacies of the Korean Developmental State among Korean aid workers in their voluntary mobilization for KoreaAID project.

A Tale of Two Motherlands: Bridging the Gap Between the American and Korean Identities of Korean War Adoptees

In 1955, Harry and Bertha Holt successfully petitioned for the passing of Private Law 475 (Holt Bill), allowing for the adoption of eight orphans from South Korea. This was the beginning of a global revolution in transnational and transracial adoption. Prior to this, the idea of adoption outside of the United States was seldom possible; however, the work of the Holt family rationalized with the pubic and garnered much attention from the government and media. Even more so complicated was the idea of mixed-race Korean children, fathered by American G.I.s stationed in the country during the Korean War. Their existence challenged conventional American views of race and hereditary purity. This paper aims to explore the story of Korean orphans in the United States. Moreover, it will attempt to further understand the process of “Americanization,” which these children were subjected to. The work will also consider the ways in which both the United States and South Korean governments handled these adoptions. Undeniably, the media played an important role in influencing not only the general public but also the images of the Korean orphans and their families, both biological and adoptive. Finally, this paper will analyze the long-term effects of transnational and transracial adoption on children, taking into account the research of scholars prominent in the field. This will include the study of identity-formation and cultural maintenance in relation post-war Korean adoptees.

Enhancement of Sustainable Recycling Systems for Industrial Waste in South Korea via Hazardous Characteristics Analysis

The South Korean government has implemented an acceptance system to promote the high-quality recycling of waste. Industrial waste generators must provide “hazardous characteristics data” to recycling operators. Nonetheless, ~80% of industrial safety accidents in South Korea occur during recycling, most involving fire or explosions. Moreover, a gap in safety management exists during ‘Circular Resource’ acceptance if the target substance is not regarded as waste. In this study collected data on hazardous waste characteristics. From 62 waste generators, 72 waste samples were collected, accounting for most of the resources accepted for recycling, including waste synthetic polymers, slag, dust, waste sand, and waste foundry sand. Then, the hazardous characteristics, as stated in the Ministry of Environment notifications, were assessed. Leaching toxicity was detected in one slag sample and six dust samples. The Cd, Cu, As, Pb, Zn, Ni, Hg, F, and CN levels dissatisfied the Soil Contamination Warning Standard in 31 samples. Explosivity was not detected in any sample, whereas flammability was detected in one waste synthetic polymer sample. The results revealed 15 cases of potential flammability. Flammability is legally defined as below the criteria if the combustion speed criterion is not met. However, in the case of flame ignition, which could cause large fires and safety accidents, the relevant notification should be revised. In this study, we aimed to improve the gap between the hazardous waste management systems and industrial fields through actual measurements of hazardous characteristics. By doing so, we seek to contribute to the prevention of environmental and safety accidents. By continuously accumulating data and utilizing actual measurements, we aim to revise and enhance relevant regulations, ultimately improving the hazardous characteristics of waste management systems.

1960년대 말 한국의 SEATO 가입 검토 연구

This study addresses the question of why the South Korean government sought to join the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) in the late 1960s, despite the existence of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. The research identifies South Korea's consideration of SEATO membership as a response to a series of security threats faced by the country after 1968, such as the January 21 Blue House raid, the capture of the USS Pueblo, and the implications of the Nixon Doctrine. In response to these threats, the South Korean government sought to reinforce the U.S. security commitment to South Korea by attempting to revise the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty and to establish new multilateral security organizations in Asia, such as the Asia-Pacific Treaty Organization (APATO). However, these efforts faltered, leading the South Korean government to consider SEATO membership as a last resort to strengthening its security through alliances. Despite SEATO not providing a qualitative improvement in U.S. security commitments, membership could have functioned as a dual safety net alongside the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. However, South Korea's attempt to join SEATO was based on the strategic miscalculation that SEATO would persist and strengthen, and it did not foresee the U.S. opposition to Korean membership. From the U.S. perspective, any expansion of security commitments in Asia was untenable, and South Korea's SEATO membership was seen as an unacceptable policy extension. In conclusion, the failure to join SEATO marked a turning point where South Korea's security policy shifted from prioritizing alliances to prioritizing self-reliance, leading to the full-fledged emergence of the self-defense policy in the 1970s.

Multidisciplinary nutritional support team and survival outcomes in patients with sepsis: a nationwide population-based cohort study in South Korea.

The South Korean government implemented a multidisciplinary nutritional support team (NST) system to focus on the proper evaluation and supply of nutritional status in hospitalized patients who are at a higher risk of malnutrition. This nationwide population-based cohort study included patients diagnosed with sepsis who were admitted to hospitals from 2016 to 2020. The NST should consist of four professional personnel (physicians, full-time nurses, full-time pharmacists, and full-time clinical dietitians). The NST group included patients with sepsis admitted to a hospital with an NST system, whereas the non-NST group included patients with sepsis admitted to a hospital without an NST system. A total of 323,841 patients with sepsis were included in the final analysis, and 120,274 (37.1%) admitted to a hospital with an NST system were included in the NST group. In the multivariable Cox regression analysis, the NST group showed a 15% lower 90-day mortality than the non-NST group (hazard ratio [HR]:0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.83, 0.86; P < 0.001). The NST group shows 11% lower 1-year all-cause mortality than the non-NST group (HR:0.89, 95% CI:0.87, 0.90; P < 0.001). In subgroup analyses, a more evident association of the NST group with lower 90-day mortality was shown in the intensive care unit admission group and age ≥65 years old group. Multidisciplinary NST intervention is associated with improved survival outcomes in patients with sepsis. Moreover, this association was more evident in patients with sepsis aged ≥65 years old who were admitted to the ICU.

Impact of narcotics information management system on inappropriate benzodiazepine receptor agonist prescriptions: A quasi-experimental analysis in South Korea.

The South Korean government implemented the narcotics information management system (NIMS) on 18 May 2018 to manage benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BzRAs) and narcotics effectively and establish a reporting mechanism for these drugs. This study assessed the effects of NIMS on inappropriate use of BzRAs. Using national patient sample data from 2016 to 2020, we analysed adult outpatients who were prescribed oral BzRAs. We conducted a time series and segmented regression analysis using selected indicators to analyse the monthly variations related to the inappropriate use of these medications. The study revealed no significant changes in the indicators of inappropriate BzRA use following the NIMS implementation. Contrary to expectations, there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients exceeding defined daily dose (DDD) and in those receiving concurrent prescriptions of multiple BzRAs, following the implementation of NIMS. The immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was an increase in DDD exceedance; however, overall, this did not significantly affect BzRA use. The introduction of NIMS did not significantly enhance the management of BzRA misuse. Additional measures, including continuous monitoring, system improvements and comprehensive education for prescribers and patients, are recommended to ensure the appropriate use of psychotropic medications.

Analysis of the necessity of revising the building energy efficiency certificate for non-residential buildings in South Korea

The Building Energy Efficiency Certification (BEEC) program is a crucial government policy aimed at reducing building energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in numerous countries, including South Korea. This study aims to evaluate the achievable BEEC level by designing a typical building with a construction permit and analyze the appropriateness of the awarded BEEC level. We collected 327 samples of non-residential buildings from South Korea's architectural administration system and established reference building models from these samples. The buildings were categorized into four use types (office, educational, retail, or cultural) and large or small sizes. We evaluated the energy consumption of the reference buildings and assigned them a BEEC level. Retail buildings exhibited the highest energy consumption, followed by office, cultural, and educational buildings. All reference buildings had an energy consumption of less than 260 kWh/m2/yr and were awarded a BEEC level of 1 to 1++, indicating energy efficient buildings. Non-residential buildings, reflecting common design trends, achieved a BEEC level of at least level 1 without additional efforts to enhance energy efficiency. We recommend the South Korean government should revise the current BEEC rating criteria and review the certification evaluation methodology. The results of this study strongly advocate for continuous improvement of the BEEC certification system. This study is expected to enhance the effectiveness of energy efficiency policies for buildings and advance related policies.

Feasibility analysis of virtual clean hydrogen plant platform: A case study on energy policy in S. Korea using stochastic programming

In S. Korea, high-density renewable and high-density load areas are separate. This separation has led to increased transmission constraints. As both Renewable Energy Source (RES) penetration and power demand simultaneously increase, RES saturation occurs. This phenomenon reduces both the benefits of power transactions and the acceptance of RES. Addressing this issue requires actions from Independent Power Producers (IPP) and policymakers. This paper suggests a Virtual Clean Hydrogen Plant (VCHP) platform design that consolidates the Photovoltaic (PV) energy from high-density renewable areas into a single power plant. The platform converts excess energy, generated by PV due to transmission constraints, into hydrogen and supplies it to the high-density load areas. The South Korean government plans to introduce a Clean Hydrogen Portfolio Standard (CHPS), which offers a fixed premium (FP) to private power generators that provide power through clean hydrogen. Consequently, the proposed benefit structure of the VCHP platform includes an FP, settled through CHPS. This paper's design and operation algorithm for the VCHP platform incorporates stochastic programming to analyze PV operation and deterministic optimization for the optimal scheduling of Fuel Cells (FC) that provide power and heat to high-density load areas. The simulation results demonstrate that the minimum subsidy required for CHPS benefits varies depending on how PV-coupled P2G technology is utilized. Specifically, engaging in net metering with VCHP over the course of one month can establish a cost-effective benefit structure, verified to require a subsidy ranging from a minimum of 0.2036 $/kWh to a maximum of 0.2416 $/kWh.

Echoes of loss: Moral injury and complex bereavement among pet owners in the wake of humidifier disinfectant disasters

AbstractIn this qualitative study, we examine the experiences of nine South Korean individuals impacted by the humidifier disinfectant scandal, a significant social disaster that resulted in the loss or health deterioration of their pets. Although humidifier disinfectants were marketed since 1994, it was not until 2011 that the South Korean government acknowledged their detrimental effects and proposed a ban. This study fills a research gap by focusing on pet owners, a substantial yet understudied demographic affected by this disaster. Our analysis reveals that the prevailing legal culture, demanding victims to substantiate their eligibility for compensation, not only intensified their trauma but also prolonged their grieving process, contributing to complex bereavement. The initial ambiguity regarding their pets' deaths fostered feelings of regret, which, upon realizing the true cause, transformed into profound guilt akin to moral injury. Based on these findings, the study offers policy recommendations to address such complex emotional repercussions in social disaster contexts.

Cultural institutions as knowledge-intensive public organisations (KIPOs) and their role: how digitalisation can change them providing sustainable and accessible public services

PurposeThis exploratory research seeks to clarify the role of cultural organisations as knowledge-intensive public organisations (KIPOs) and the trend of digital content creation in museum sectors and national strategies through a country case study. It aims to provide a deeper understanding and analysis of museums' roles as KIPOs, specifically focusing on their digitalisation and digital content development for service delivery. Digital technology utilisation in the museum sector has amplified the significance of digital content, not only because of the increasing use of digital technologies among the public but also because it provides attractive new content to appeal to customers, as well as more efficient knowledge management and knowledge reproduction tools for KIPOs. Thus, this paper analyses digital content creation in the museum sector and policy frameworks to provide insights into the role of museums as KIPOs by utilising digital technologies.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted literature review on six keywords, combination of “cultural institution”, “museum”, “digitalization”, “digital content”, and “ICT” to understand the digitalisation of museums amongst academic papers, then used a case study to figure out the common issues as well as case-specific features of these digital offerings through analysis of the digital platforms of museums. Specifically, we choose the case of South Korea, its national strategies and budget allocations and the museum sectors in the country. Thus, the secondary data analysis was provided by the official channels, such as documents from government agencies, media sources, such as articles from newspapers and magazines and academic works of literature, such as papers in scientific journals.FindingsThis paper reveals the research trend in museums' digitalisation, especially through the case study, how the South Korean government has argued digital content development in museum sectors through their national strategies and budget allocations, and the trend of museums' digital offerings since 2021. This paper thus presents a novel contribution to the field by delving into the research trend in digitalisation and digital content development in the museum sector and analysing the South Korean government's national strategies and budget allocation in this context. The literature review shows that the digitalisation of museums has increased research interest in the last few years in limited areas. South Korea has allocated budgets and policies to encourage digital content creation in museums, and this study identifies an increase in digital content creation in the museum sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper chose one-country case study, that of South Korea; thus, there are representative limitations and thus in terms of generalisation of the results. Further research with case studies from other countries and comparative studies are required.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the importance of digitalisation and digital content development in the museum sector through government policies, strategies and financial investment.Social implicationsIt highlights the importance of digitalisation and the introduction of digital contents amongst museums to gain new visitors and change the relationship between the institutions and the customers.Originality/valueIt deals with the digitalisation of museums as KIPOs and it is a new and relevant topic per se. This study enhances the understanding of the museum sector’s digital content development and national policies to support its activities. It provides insights into the utilisation of digital technologies in cultural institutions for digital service delivery in public organisations.

Adaptation in action: the rise and fall of academic publications from Korean high schoolers, 2001–2021

South Korea implemented many-pronged educational reforms, notably to transition from heavy reliance on a high-stakes standardised test to more diversified assessment for university admissions. Nonetheless, this effort created another arena of competition towards meritocratic credentials—such as academic publications. The South Korean government, in 2014, prohibited high schools from documenting students’ extracurricular accomplishments earned outside schools. This paper analyses the impacts of these reforms. We queried large-scale bibliographic databases with prestigious high schools’ names in South Korea and retrieved publications where high school students were granted authorship between 2001 and 2021. We examine associations between school types, research topics, and the status of scholarly venues. We also show the number of papers from Korean high schoolers rose until the mid-2010s but declined after the 2014 intervention. Our findings suggest that diverse adaptive strategies can evolve as long as meritocratic ethos persists. We discuss further implications beyond the context of South Korea.

Where’s the beef?: the politics of health care reform in South Korea

Background: In February 2024, the South Korean government released a policy proposal for healthcare reform, with one of the main pillars being increased medical school admissions. This policy has sparked intense opposition from the physicians’ top association. Most importantly, interns and residents—the bedrock of the medical workforce in Korean hospitals—began to leave en masse. Consequently, a medical crisis emerged, in which many medical and surgical procedures were delayed.Current Concepts: According to studies on comparative health policy and systems, the crisis could be attributed to the unique characteristics of the Korean healthcare system, in which the administration and doctors have failed to establish a substantive dialogue through which policy options are examined and deliberated. These dynamics necessitated the establishment of an institutional space for interest group politics, causing both to suffer from a lack of action repertoires. The stalemate we witness reflects the enduring patterns of the same issue.Discussion and Conclusion: To ensure the success of the current initiative, institutional arrangements must be established in which policymakers and physicians make a credible commitment to each other. Alternatives, for instance, include reactivating and regularizing the Health and Medical Services Policy Deliberation Committee, which could pave the way for establishing a venue where key stakeholders can discuss future agendas, such as how to ensure improved accessibility to “essential” care and mitigate its subnational variation, thereby creating a long-term vision for new health system governance in South Korea.

The growth patterns of firms in the industrial value chain using the hidden markov model: Evidence from the Korean semiconductor industry

Having steadily grown over the last 40 years, the semiconductor industry in South Korea has emerged as one of the leading industries in the world. However, it has recently entered a period of great change because of the volatility in the global value chain caused by trade conflicts and protectionism in the pursuit of technological sovereignty by countries. To cope with these changes, the South Korean government has endeavoured to strengthen the competitiveness of domestic materials and equipment segments, which are the backbone of the semiconductor industry. Nevertheless, most previous studies on the semiconductor industry in South Korea focused on the downstream of the value chain (which means the manufacturing of finished components). However, only a few attempts were made to investigate the upstream part of the industry, that is, materials and equipment segments. Therefore, this study analyses the growth patterns of firms engaged in the Korean semiconductor industry value chain, including finished components, materials, and equipment. For this objective, we applied the Hidden Markov Model to time-series sales data collected from 1998 to 2019 for 1,259 firms in the value chain. The analysis results indicated that the growth of these firms could be modelled using six stages, based on which nine patterns of growth were identified. This study proposes a novel data-driven approach for tracking firm growth across the domestic industry value chain from a longitudinal perspective. Thus, we provide valuable policy insights for nurturing the domestic industry’s value chain.