South Korea Resumes Russian Naphtha Imports Amid Semiconductor Supply Chain Pressures

South Korea has resumed importing Russian naphtha, a crucial material for semiconductor production, following a temporary U.S. sanctions waiver. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resource confirmed the arrival of 27,000 tonnes of Russian naphtha on Monday, marking the first such shipment since late February when tensions between the U.S., Israel, and Iran escalated. This development underscores vulnerabilities in Asia's technology supply chains, particularly for chip manufacturing. The waiver permitted Russian shipments already in transit to complete sales and unloading between March 12 and April 11. South Korea depends on imports for approximately 45% of its naphtha requirements, making this resumption significant for maintaining semiconductor production capacity. The situation highlights broader regional supply chain fragility amid geopolitical conflicts affecting critical industrial inputs.