A Samsung Electronics employee was arrested on suspicion of leaking in-house secrets related to patents.
According to legal sources on the 21st, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Information Technology Crime Investigation Department (Director General Kim Yoon-yong) arrested on the 19th a Samsung Electronics IP Center employee, a person surnamed Kwon, on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
A person surnamed Lim, the head of a nonpracticing entity (NPE), was also arrested on suspicion of receiving the materials from Kwon.
Kwon is suspected of leaking to Lim patent-related sales materials that the IP Center designated as confidential in exchange for a promise of financial compensation.
The materials are said to include information on patents that Samsung Electronics planned to acquire or enter into license agreements for, and plans for responding to legal disputes.
Earlier, prosecutors indicted Ahn Seung-ho, former Samsung Electronics executive vice president who served as the inaugural head of the IP Center in 2024, along with IP team staff, on charges including leaking trade secrets. Ahn, who oversaw patent strategy at Samsung Electronics, is suspected of establishing an NPE after leaving the company and filing a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States against Samsung Electronics using Samsung Electronics' confidential documents obtained through internal employees.