Hanmi Semiconductor Chairman Kwak Dong-shin has stepped up his commitment to responsible management by investing 8 billion won of personal funds to acquire additional shares in the company.
Hanmi Semiconductor announced on the 19th that Kwak plans to acquire 8 billion won worth of treasury shares through open-market purchases on the 16th of next month.
Once the purchase is complete, Kwak's stake will rise to 33.60%. The chairman has been steadily using personal funds to buy company shares since 2023. Including this latest acquisition, his cumulative purchases will total 64.5 billion won (717,638 shares).
The share purchase is interpreted as a sign of confidence in the company's competitiveness in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) equipment, which is central to the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market, as well as in its global expansion. Hanmi Semiconductor is the world's top maker of thermal compression (TC) bonders, equipment essential for HBM production. The company is rolling out supplies of its "TC Bonder 4" equipment in line with HBM4 mass production this year. It also plans to release a prototype of its second-generation hybrid bonder for next-generation HBM manufacturing within the year.
The company is also accelerating its push into global markets. Hanmi Semiconductor plans to establish a local subsidiary, Hanmi USA, in San Jose, California, by the end of this year. The move aims to provide preemptive technical support aligned with the schedules of Micron, SK hynix, Intel and Tera Fab, which are operating local plants with backing from the U.S. CHIPS Act. The company is also focusing on securing new growth engines, including supplying its "EMI Shield 2.0 X" series for aerospace applications to global firms.
"This additional share acquisition reflects firm confidence in Hanmi Semiconductor's technology and future growth potential," Kwak said. "I will prove the company's growth as it expands into the U.S. market."
