A former Samsung Electronics employee who was put on trial on charges of passing Korea's core semiconductor process technology to a Chinese company was sentenced to prison in the first trial. The court found that the leaked information constitutes national core technology and determined that the defendant conspired in the related crimes.
The Criminal Agreement Division 28 of the Seoul Central District Court (presiding judge Han Dae-gyun, Director General judge) on the 22nd sentenced a person surnamed Jeon, who was indicted on charges including violating the Act on Prevention of Divulgence and Protection of Industrial Technology, to seven years in prison.
The court determined that core semiconductor process information, including PRP (Process Recipe Plan), which was passed to a Chinese company, falls under national core technology. It also cited as grounds for guilt that Jeon, together with accomplices, was involved in leaking Samsung Electronics' core technology.
The court noted that the crime allowed core technology, which Korea's large corporations developed by investing massive funds and manpower, to be used by a foreign company, adding that losses occurred not only for corporations but also at the national level.
After moving from Samsung Electronics to the Chinese DRAM company ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), Jeon was indicted on charges of unlawfully obtaining and using DRAM process–related national core technology that Samsung Electronics developed at a cost of about 1.6 trillion won. Prosecutors said Jeon, during the job change process, secured Samsung Electronics' process technology and was involved in recruiting key personnel, participating in CXMT's formulation of its DRAM development plan.
Prosecutors also found that Jeon received valuables worth about 2.9 billion won over roughly six years from CXMT, including a sign-on bonus and stock options.