To: Sridhar Srinivasan who wrote (40721 ) 11/6/1998 9:45:00 AM From: DJBEINO Respond to of 53903
11-07-98 Chip Merger Deal Nears Virtual Collapse The semiconductor merger talks between Hyundai and LG groups appears to have all but fallen through, dealing a serious blow to Korea's overall corporate restructuring drive, sources said yesterday. Far from a merger, the semiconductor affiliates of the two groups seem determined to go their respective ways, undaunted by government threats to cut off credit lines and forced restructuring, the industry sources said. Top executives of Hyundai Electronics Ind. and LG Semicon continued their marathon negotiations until late last night, but again failed to narrow their differences over the selection of a foreign consulting firm to decide which firm will hold a 70-percent stake. The two companies also turned down a third alternative, U.S. agency Arthur D. Little, which had been recommended by the Federation of Korean Industries. The chip makers and the FKI agreed to seek other foreign or domestic consulting agencies, to ensure fairness and transparency in awarding a 70-percent stake in the joint entity to either of Hyundai or LG. But industry watchers, pointing to the limited time before the Nov. 30 deadline, said that it will be impossible to produce a compromise by the end of this month. ''Foot-dragging, even on the selection of a consulting firm, seems to suggest that the two chaebols do not intend to merge their semiconductor units,'' said an analyst at Daishin Securities Co. Earlier Thursday, economic ministers and Presidential aides, urging the two conglomerates to heed the Nov. 30 deadline, warned that Hyundai Electronics and LG Semicon will be punished if an agreement is not reached. Hyundai and LG executives, however, maintain that the proposed chip merger will create little synergies, due to their different technology systems and rapidly changing circumstances in the international chip markets. An FKI spokesman admitted, ''At present, the possibility of a voluntary settlement is slim.''