The return period for special gas containers for semiconductors has been extended from the existing six months to a maximum of two years, providing some relief to the stability of the supply and demand of special gases.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Moon Seung-wook) announced that the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the 'Energy Safety Act, including the High-Pressure Gas Safety Management Act,' which is being pursued to stabilize the domestic supply and demand of special industrial gases imported for purposes such as semiconductor manufacturing, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 30th.

This amendment was pursued as part of regulatory improvements under the government's announced 'K-Semiconductor Strategy' aimed at realizing Korea's goal of becoming a semiconductor powerhouse.

Under the High Pressure Gas Safety Management Act, the principle is that all high-pressure gas containers must be individually inspected for the purpose of safety verification before being imported. However, as an exception, high-pressure gas containers imported into the country containing high-pressure gas are exempted from inspection on the condition that they are returned overseas within six months.

Amidst this, the industry has been complaining of difficulties as the situation persists where it is difficult to return imported containers within six months, due to the increase in stockpiles resulting from recent Japanese export restrictions and the long-term use of special gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, which are characterized by small-scale usage with an average lifespan of about two years.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy amended the 'Enforcement Decree of the High-Pressure Gas Safety Management Act' to allow an extension of the return period for high-pressure containers exempt from inspection from the current 6 months to a maximum of 2 years, taking into account the realities of the industrial sector.

However, as the return period has been extended, it is necessary to strengthen safety verification; therefore, the conditions for exemption from container inspection have been limited to 'containers inspected by a reliable foreign inspection agency.'

An official from the Ministry of Industry said, “This “The amendment to the enforcement decree will promote the stability of the domestic supply and demand of imported industrial gases, thereby boosting the competitiveness of related industries such as semiconductors, and furthermore, creating a safer energy living environment for the public,” they stated, adding, “We will continue to pursue rational improvements to regulations related to energy safety and supplement safety systems.”

In the case of special gases for semiconductors, usage varies greatly depending on the item, and in some cases, a single container has been used for 1 to 2 years.

In order to recharge, there was a significant waste of time and money as containers had to be discarded or taken overseas to be recharged.

Accordingly, the industry, including the Korea Industrial Specialty Gas Association, has continuously demanded that regulations related to this be made more realistic.