Gov't to increase reuse of computers, expand support programs due to rising semiconductor prices
Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 08:55
![Laptops are displayed at a store in Seoul on Jan. 1. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/09/02c024d7-7455-4e95-91c9-a09a75b1fb55.jpg)
Laptops are displayed at a store in Seoul on Jan. 1. [YONHAP]
Korea will increase the reuse of computers previously used by public agencies and expand support programs for vulnerable groups in response to rising prices of semiconductors, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said on Thursday.
The measure is part of a broader set of countermeasures announced at a minister-level meeting focused on stabilizing consumer prices as global prices for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), widely used in desktop and laptop computers, have risen.
The central government currently disposes of outdated computers through sales, donations or scrapping. Of the 22,000 computers disposed of last year, more than half were scrapped, though many were estimated to be suitable for basic tasks after repair or maintenance.
The government plans to increase the proportion of devices donated free of charge, promoting reuse and enabling local governments to use them more actively in programs supporting vulnerable groups.
It will also expand its subsidy program for purchasing personal computers for students from low-income households through a supplementary budget expected to be passed later this month.
The ministry forecasts that prices for conventional DRAM chips will continue to rise for some time as semiconductor manufacturers focus on producing high bandwidth memory, or HBM, amid the AI boom.
Prices of desktop and laptop computers from major manufacturers have risen more than 10 percent over the past seven months, industry data showed.
Consumer prices for computers rose 10.8 percent from a year earlier in February and 12.4 percent on year in March, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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