US chip subsidy criteria could be a 'burden', says South Korea

FILE PHOTO: Mobile memory chips made by chipmaker SK Hynix are seen in this picture illustration taken May 10, 2013, Seoul, South Korea. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won

SEOUL (Reuters) - Criteria to qualify for new U.S. semiconductor subsidies could be "burdensome" for companies such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and SK Hynix Inc, South Korea's trade minister said on Thursday.

Conditions include sharing excess profit with the U.S. government, and three industry sources said the application process itself could expose confidential corporate strategy.