Yoon, Biden meet at Samsung's chip plant in Pyeongtaek

U.S. President Joe Biden, left, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol tour the Samsung Electronics factory in Pyeongtaek on May 20. [AFP]

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden met at Samsung Electronics’ chip complex in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi on Friday, the first stop in the U.S. leader's three-day trip to Korea.

The location of their first meeting symbolized a commitment to build a stronger bilateral alliance and less vulnerable supply chain for chips and other electronic components .

Biden wants to ramp up domestic production of key devices such as semiconductors and Samsung Electronics has recently committed to a $17 billion chip plant investment in Taylor, Texas.

Air Force One flew into a United States Air Force base in Osan, Gyeonggi, at around 5:30 p.m., with Biden accompanied by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

After a short greeting from Foreign Minister Park Jin, Biden moved by car to Pyeongtaek where Yoon welcomed him, the two leader’s first face-to-face encounter.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong guided the two presidents through the complex, which houses two plants in production and four others that are planned and being built.

The highlight of the tour was showing Yoon and Biden Samsung's new 3 nanometer chips, which are made with one of the most advanced manufacturing techniques in the industry. It was the first time that the tech giant demonstrated the newest chips.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]