Two-speed economy

The claim paints Taiwan as an economy running on semiconductors alone, with the rest of its manufacturing base falling behind. Official data referenced in the review, including materials published through Taiwan's Overseas Community Affairs Council (c.gov.tw), support the broad outline: chip-driven growth and pay packages have pulled far ahead of legacy industries.

High pay, narrow base

Salaries in the semiconductor industry have climbed to levels near the 100-million-won mark, a figure rarely seen in Taiwan's traditional manufacturing sectors, which have not kept pace in either wages or output growth. The disparity highlights the concentration of Taiwan's economic momentum in a single strategic industry.

Limits of the picture

The review of primary sources — 12 in total — found the claim largely accurate, though it describes a trend rather than a collapse: traditional manufacturing is slowing relative to semiconductors, not disappearing.

Taiwan's economy is indeed racing ahead on semiconductors while traditional manufacturing, despite headline salaries at the 100-million-won level elsewhere, has largely stopped moving — making the claim Mostly True.