Samsung, SK Hynix Reject KEPCO’s 25 Trillion Won Prepayment Plan

The refusal by Korea's two largest chipmakers signals that even domestically dominant manufacturers are unwilling to extend cheap financing to a state utility, a notable shift in the balance of leverage between industrial power buyers and suppliers. KEPCO's push for prepayment suggests it is hunting for liquidity outside conventional funding channels, which matters for anyone tracking Korean utility finances or the cost structure of the country's semiconductor cluster. Whether KEPCO revises the proposal or turns elsewhere for capital is the open question worth watching.