The proportion of locally made parts has decreased while Chinese-made parts have increased in the South Korean solar power market over the past five years.

The proportion of South Korean-made solar modules was at 68 percent in June this year, down 5 percentage points from 2017.

In contrast, the proportion of Chinese-made solar modules increased from 27 percent to 32 percent.

According to the data provided by Rep. Lee In-sun of the ruling People Power Party, the actual proportion of Korean products is lower considering the current measurement method, which counts modules built with Chinese cells as Korean products .

South Korea’s solar cell output falls behind; it fell from 40% in 2017 to 35 percent in June this year.

In contrast, the share of Chinese-made solar cells in the Korean solar cell market increased from 52 percent to 59 percent.

According to the Korea Energy Economics Institute, South Korean manufacturers of polysilicon, ingots, and wafers have completely disappeared, while the US and the EU are making investments to strengthen their domestic supply networks and solar panel value chains.

South Korea’s domestic value chain for solar panels has de facto been cut off, Lee said.