.By Jeffrey Newman

The U.S. Commerce Department is investigating whether Ronda Korea, a South Korean company, has sold chipmaking equipment to Chinese firms. U.S.-based Lam Research produces the equipment, which was reportedly obtained by Chinese companies subject to U.S. sanctions. Ronda Korea is managed by two Chinese engineers – Wen Bingshu and Huang Yuantai – who previously worked for Chinese state-backed semiconductor companies AMEC and IMECAS.

The U.S. DoC is investigating whether Ronda Korea resold components for chipmaking equipment made by Lam Research to Chinese firms.

Ronda Korea Co Ltd is a South Korean company that manufactures components for semiconductor equipment.

Based on the information provided in the search results, Ronda Korea Co Ltd appears to be owned and managed by two Chinese chip engineers – Wen Bingshu and Huang Yuantai.Specifically: State that public information shows Ronda Korea is managed by Wen Bingshu and Huang Yuantai, who had previously worked for Chinese semiconductor companies Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc China (AMEC) and the Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMECAS), respectively. Also mentions that Ronda Materials, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ronda Korea, announced plans to invest in a precision parts manufacturing project in Xi’an, China.While the search results do not explicitly state who the owners of Ronda Korea are, the management by the two Chinese engineers and the ownership of a Chinese subsidiary strongly suggest Ronda Korea has Chinese ownership or ties. However, there are no definitive statements on the exact ownership structure of the parent company Ronda Korea Co Ltd itself.

1. Ronda Korea was established relatively recently in March 2019 in Hwaseong, South Korea. This timing coincides with the U.S. ordering the Dutch company ASML not to ship extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment to China earlier in 2019.
2. The company is managed by two Chinese chip engineers – Wen Bingshu and Huang Yuantai – who previously worked for Chinese semiconductor companies AMEC and IMECAS.
3. Ronda Korea does not have much public presence – no company website, just a local telephone number and an office on the 15th floor of a building that also houses other foreign chipmaking equipment suppliers like Tokyo Electron and Inficon.
4. Job listings describe Ronda Korea as engaged in “general product wholesale business” with around 21 employees as of the information provided.
5. In March 2022, Ronda Korea’s wholly-owned subsidiary Ronda Materials announced plans to invest over $41 million to start a precision parts manufacturing project for semiconductor components in Xi’an, China
6. Ronda Korea is managed by two Chinese engineers – Wen Bingshu and Huang Yuantai – who previously worked for Chinese state-backed semiconductor companies AMEC and IMECAS.
7. Ronda Korea’s wholly-owned subsidiary Ronda Materials announced plans to invest over $41 million in a precision parts manufacturing project for semiconductor components in Xi’an, China.
8. Ronda Korea has established three other subsidiaries in China as of 2023, further expanding its operations there.

Jeffrey Newman is a whistleblower lawyer, whose firm represents whistleblowers in healthcare fraud cases under the False Claims Act (FCA) and also under the Securities and Exchange, FINCEN and CFTC whistleblower programs. He can be reached at Jeff@JeffNewmanLaw.com or at 617-823-3217