Background
- Discipline
- Mechanical engineering.
- Until 2009
- Product development at Samsung Electronics (mobile devices).
- Since 2010
- Export trade — sixteen years across machinery and industrial equipment into and out of Asia.
- From 2026
- Advanced-materials sourcing into Korea — SiC powders, SOFC electrolytes, and semiconductor-adjacent consumables.
How the Insights section is written
The trade-practice material — Incoterms, payment structure, certificate of origin, customs classification, supplier qualification — comes from sixteen years of doing it.
Materials-property content is research synthesis with primary sources cited, not first-hand measurement, and is written that way deliberately.
Articles by GJ Park
Fuel Cells for AI Data Centres: Why Scandium Demand Figures Disagree
AI data centres started buying solid oxide fuel cells at scale in 2026. The scandium tonnage figures now circulating differ by an order of magnitude, none of them shows its arithmetic, and here is what that arithmetic would actually need.
SiC Powder: 7 Things to Settle Before You Request a Quote
Grade, particle size, distribution, Fe units, Ti gating, multi-modal packing, and contract terms — the seven specifications that decide whether an SiC powder quote is comparable at all.
YSZ vs ScSZ: A SOFC Electrolyte Comparison and Selection Guide
An engineering comparison of YSZ and ScSZ solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes — conductivity versus temperature, aging, mechanical limits, and supply risk as a design input.
Dysprosium Flows Recovered, Yttrium's Did Not — China's Rare Earth Controls
Sixteen months on from MOFCOM's seven-element rare earth licensing: which controls actually bit, what the November 10, 2026 expiry changes, and why requalification time is the binding constraint.
Importing YSZ into Korea: An Export-Control and Sourcing Playbook
A practical guide to importing YSZ into Korea under China's yttrium controls — 1C908 scope, HS-code mismatch, K-REACH checks, and dual sourcing.
Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Market 2026: Size, Demand, Yttrium Risk
A 2026 read on the yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) market — size by source, demand by application, 3Y-TZP vs 8YSZ grades, and a dual raw-material bottleneck in zircon mining and ZOC refining.
How China's Scandium Export Controls Reshaped the SOFC Supply Chain
China's April 2025 MOFCOM Announcement No. 18 put scandium under export licensing, tripling scandium oxide prices and disrupting solid-oxide fuel-cell electrolyte sourcing.
Two Faces of Round SiC Powder: Spray-Dried Granules vs Plasma Spheroidized
Round SiC powder is not one thing: grade crushed angular, spray-dried granule, and plasma-spheroidized powders, and what to verify before you buy.
2026 Global SiC Market Outlook: Demand, Prices, and China Supply
The 2026 global silicon carbide (SiC) market: ~$5.29 billion at a 10.7% CAGR through 2031. Demand by application, the price ladder, and China supply.
Procurement Strategy Under Export Controls: Licensing, Not Embargo
China's materials export controls are licensing regimes, not embargoes. Five procurement strategies: licensing, dual-sourcing, contracts, and Incoterms.
China Export Controls Timeline (2023–2026): Critical Materials
China's critical-materials export controls, from gallium to scandium: a chronological reference with per-item status and sourcing implications.
Scandium Production: Just 40 Tonnes a Year, and Why It Stays There
Almost no standalone mines, and only ~40 t of scandium a year despite a crustal abundance the USGS puts above lead, tin and silver — the shortage, SOFC and aerospace demand, and the price spike.
Sold as 'Granules' but Not: SEM/EDS Powder Quality Verification
Some 'SiC granules' are really crushed angular powder. A lot-verification protocol with SEM/EDS, PSA, and XRD checking morphology, composition, and phase.
The Global ScSZ (SOFC Electrolyte) Supplier Landscape
ScSZ (10Sc1CeSZ) specs and the SOFC electrolyte supplier landscape across China, Japan, the US, and Korea, with a selection-criteria matrix.
Inventory Buffering and Cash Conversion Cycle in Materials Trading
Inventory buffering is a lead-time service and transfer of risk. A framework on carrying cost, the cash conversion cycle (CCC), and four levers to cut it.
SiC Powder Import Guide for Korea: HS Code, Tariffs, K-REACH
A practical guide to importing silicon carbide (SiC) powder into Korea: HS classification, tariff rates, FTA origin, K-REACH, and packaging.