Seoul — China has launched a probe into Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron Technology, the three semiconductor makers who control the market for dynamic random-access memory (dram) memory chips. Beijing is investigating price-fixing allegations as dram prices have risen sharply, the first such probe by China, said a source with knowledge of the matter. "The investigation has kicked off in earnest," the source said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The move comes at a time when Seoul and Beijing have just gotten back on a more even footing after bilateral tension in 2017, but analysts said the matter was separate from past spats as well as the current US-China trade disputes. Rather, the high cost of chips has hurt many electronics makers, with Chinese manufacturers among the hardest hit as they operate at lower margins than rivals. A senior South Korean government official said Samsung and SK Hynix contended that there has been no price-fixing. "It is a situation...
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