Reuters: Samsung Display suggested Vietnam not quarantine 700 Korean engineers

Samsung Display, a supplier of Samsung Electronics and Apple, has asked Vietnam to exempt compulsory isolation for 700 Korean engineers, explaining that they need to prepare for the production of displays for new smartphones.

Vietnam has forced a 14-day quarantine for immigrants from South Korea to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Korea is currently the largest epidemic region outside of China.

This is a blow to Korean companies, which are the largest foreign investors in Vietnam. Samsung Display operates a factory in Vietnam where it assembles OLED screens used in smartphones from Samsung Electronics, Apple and Huawei.

Around this time of the year, Samsung Display sent engineers from South Korea to Vietnam to prepare for new products expected to launch in the second half of the year, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. .

Travel restrictions may disrupt that schedule. Samsung Display, a unit of Samsung Electronics, is negotiating with the Vietnamese government to exempt its engineers from quarantine if they provide medical examination reports, the source added, provided that Anonymity because of the sensitivity of the problem.

Vietnam is currently Korea's No. 3 export market as well as the fifth largest import source of Korea. Samsung Electronics Vietnam alone accounts for a quarter of Vietnam's exports and accounts for more than half of Samsung's smartphones sold globally.