After being investigated, Broadcom voluntarily invested 20 billion won in South Korea's semiconductor industry.

CTOnews.com, January 10, South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) previously launched an investigation into Broadcom after the company was accused of forcing Samsung Electronics to sign a long-term procurement contract with it.

According to South Korean media Business Korea, Broadcom proposed a "voluntary correction plan" after the investigation, and they hope to invest 20 billion won (about 109 million yuan) in South Korea's semiconductor industry within five years.

According to reports, of the 20 billion won, 7.7 billion won is used for engineer training and 12.3 billion won for newly established and existing non-large non-fab enterprises. In addition, they will conduct two weeks to two months of semiconductor data collection and analysis, automotive chip design training for 150 students and employees each year, and for companies to help them enter the industry and set up testing and verification environments.

The CTOnews.com inquiry found that Broadcom was investigated because the South Korean Fair Trade Commission found Broadcom components in Samsung smartphones released before March last year, but the two companies are not doing business together.

The US semiconductor manufacturing company forced other companies to sign a three-year contract to sell smartphone components, the investigation found. In addition, it requires Samsung Electronics to purchase parts worth more than $760 million a year and pay the rest if the amount is not reached.

The committee will decide whether to accept the plan next month. If KFTC believes that its proposal is reasonable, the case can be closed without punitive measures.

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