Gov't to expand reuse of old computers, support for vulnerable groups amid rising DRAM prices | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
OK By Kim Han-joo SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will increase the reuse of computers previously used by public agencies and expand support programs for vulnerable groups in response to rising prices of semiconductors, the finance ministry said Thursday. The measure is part of a broader set of countermeasures announced at a minister-level meeting focused on stabilizing consumer prices as global prices for dynamic random access memory (DRAM), widely used in desktop and laptop computers, have risen. This file photo, taken Jan. 1, 2026, shows laptops displayed at a store in Seoul. (Yonhap) khj@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Samsung Electronics reclaims No. 1 spot in global DRAM market in Q4 Samsung reclaims top spot in global DRAM market in Q4 Keywords #PC prices Articles with issue keywords Most Liked (LEAD) BTS tops Billboard albums chart for 2nd week with 'Arirang,' a first in K-pop BTS to drop 'Come Over,' exclusive new track on 'Arirang' LP 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho BTS tops Spotify weekly charts for 2nd week with new album 'Arirang' Lee voices hope for peace in Easter message Most Saved 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho (3rd LD) Lee says S. Korean road lined with cherry blossoms BTS to launch world tour prev Gov't to expand reuse of old computers, support for vulnerable groups amid rising DRAM prices Next Gov't to expand reuse of old computers, support for vulnerable groups amid rising DRAM prices

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By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will increase the reuse of computers previously used by public agencies and expand support programs for vulnerable groups in response to rising prices of semiconductors, the finance ministry said Thursday.
The measure is part of a broader set of countermeasures announced at a minister-level meeting focused on stabilizing consumer prices as global prices for dynamic random access memory (DRAM), widely used in desktop and laptop computers, have risen.
The central government currently disposes of outdated computers through sales, donations or scrapping. Of the 22,000 computers disposed of last year, more than half were scrapped, even though many were estimated to be suitable for basic tasks after repair or maintenance.
The government plans to increase the proportion of devices donated free of charge, promoting the reuse and enabling local governments to use them more actively in programs supporting vulnerable groups.
It will also expand its subsidy program for purchasing personal computers for students from low-income households through a supplementary budget expected to be passed later this month.
The ministry forecast that prices for conventional DRAM chips will continue to rise for some time as semiconductor manufacturers focus on producing high bandwidth memory (HBM) amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
Prices of desktop and laptop computers from major manufacturers have risen more than 10 percent over the past seven months, industry data showed.
Consumer prices for computers rose 10.8 percent from a year earlier in February and 12.4 percent on-year in March, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
This file photo, taken Jan. 1, 2026, shows laptops displayed at a store in Seoul. (Yonhap)
khj@yna.co.kr
(END)
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- This file photo, taken Jan. 1, 2026, shows laptops displayed at a store in Seoul. (Yonhap) khj@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Samsung Electronics reclaims No. 1 spot in global DRAM market in Q4 Samsung reclaims top spot in global DRAM market in Q4 Keywords #PC prices Articles with issue keywords Most Liked (LEAD) BTS tops Billboard albums chart for 2nd week with 'Arirang,' a first in K-pop BTS to drop 'Come Over,' exclusive new track on 'Arirang' LP 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho BTS tops Spotify weekly charts for 2nd week with new album 'Arirang' Lee voices hope for peace in Easter message Most Saved 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho (3rd LD) Lee says S.

### Implications
- OK By Kim Han-joo SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will increase the reuse of computers previously used by public agencies and expand support programs for vulnerable groups in response to rising prices of semiconductors, the finance ministry said Thursday.
- It will also expand its subsidy program for purchasing personal computers for students from low-income households through a supplementary budget expected to be passed later this month.
- The ministry forecast that prices for conventional DRAM chips will continue to rise for some time as semiconductor manufacturers focus on producing high bandwidth memory (HBM) amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
- This file photo, taken Jan. 1, 2026, shows laptops displayed at a store in Seoul. (Yonhap) khj@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Samsung Electronics reclaims No. 1 spot in global DRAM market in Q4 Samsung reclaims top spot in global DRAM market in Q4 Keywords #PC prices Articles with issue keywords Most Liked (LEAD) BTS tops Billboard albums chart for 2nd week with 'Arirang,' a first in K-pop BTS to drop 'Come Over,' exclusive new track on 'Arirang' LP 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho BTS tops Spotify weekly charts for 2nd week with new album 'Arirang' Lee voices hope for peace in Easter message Most Saved 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho (3rd LD) Lee says S.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers korea, computers, prices topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 564.