Seoul, Aug. 12 -- South Korea's electronic component makers are bracing for tough months ahead as Washington moves closer to imposing new tariffs on a wide range of technology products. The Korean Herald reported that the biggest uncertainty lies in whether semiconductors embedded in finished products such as smartphones and personal computers will be exempt from the proposed tariffs.

While US President Donald Trump's "100 per cent tariff on semiconductors" might be waived for giants like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix because of their investment in US chip plants, suppliers fear the relief may not extend to devices containing those chips.

"The US may grant semiconductor tariff exemptions, but those are likely to apply only to product...