South Korean Media: China's OLED Market Booms, Material Procurement Exceeds South Korea for the First Time!
On March 28, South Korean media outlet National Economy published an article stating that, amid continuous growth in the global organic light-emitting diode (OLED) emission material market, Chinese display manufacturers' procurement volume of emission materials has surpassed that of South Korea for the first time, setting a record high. As domestic Chinese enterprises rapidly expand, concerns within South Korea’s display industry are intensifying.
According to UBI Research, a specialized display market research firm, the total sales revenue of global OLED emission material suppliers reached $2.27 billion in 2025—an increase of 7.2% compared to 2024.
Starting from the third quarter, when Apple’s new product OLED panels officially entered mass production, purchases by South Korean panel companies increased. Meanwhile, Chinese firms maintained their previous quarter’s levels, resulting in a larger market scale in the second half of the year than in the first half.
The most striking development is the reversal in market share between China and South Korea. In 2025, South Korea’s OLED panel enterprises’ share of emission material procurement dropped to 49.1%, while Chinese OLED panel makers’ share exceeded 50%—marking the first time they surpassed their South Korean counterparts. China’s sustained expansion of production lines and shipments of OLED panels for smartphones has clearly reflected its growing purchasing power in materials.
Regarding suppliers, China’s rise is equally impressive. While established global leaders such as UDC, LG Chem, and Samsung SDI continue to maintain high sales volumes, Chinese material companies like Beijing Xiàhè Technology, LTOM, and Jilin Aolaidi Optics have shown particularly rapid advancement. They are expanding their supply scale primarily targeting newly emerging domestic panel manufacturers, significantly boosting their sales.
UBI Research notes that with the global emission material market expected to keep expanding in the medium to long term, the growth rate of sales from Chinese suppliers will likely accelerate further. However, these companies still face a lengthy transition period before they can fully break through the stringent quality inspections and reliability assessments imposed by South Korean panel manufacturers and ultimately gain full integration into their supply chains.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860904641582092/
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