[Featured Stock] Taekyung Chemical Rises 5% on Concerns Over Ukraine Gas Supply Disruptions

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] Taekyung Chemical is showing a rise of over 5% during trading hours.

At 9:51 AM on the 22nd, Taekyung Chemical was trading at 13,050 KRW, up 5.67% from the previous trading day. The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has led to concerns that the supply of gases necessary for semiconductor production may be disrupted, which is interpreted as increasing interest in domestic special gas suppliers.

Taekyung Chemical is the largest domestic manufacturer of high-purity liquid carbon dioxide gas. It produces liquid carbon dioxide and dry ice using carbon dioxide generated from refining and petrochemical processes as raw materials. Among these, liquid carbon dioxide is mainly used in shipbuilding welding, semiconductor cleaning, and chemical fields.

As concerns over armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia grow, the semiconductor industry is increasingly worried about potential disruptions in production. Special gases are essential for semiconductor manufacturing, and most of these gases are supplied through Russia and Ukraine. Special gases are widely used throughout semiconductor manufacturing processes such as thin film formation, growth, deposition, etching, and cleaning. Jaeyoon Lee, a researcher at Yuanta Securities, stated, “The dependence on Russia and Ukraine for raw materials of semiconductor special gases such as neon, argon, and xenon gases is about 50%,” adding, “This situation will cause issues in raw material supply.”