bhc "No Charges for BBQ Regarding Information and Communications Network Act Violation" (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] bhc announced on the 18th that all six individuals, including bhc Chairman Park Hyunjong and executives, who were accused by BBQ of violating the Information and Communications Network Act, have been cleared of charges with no prosecution following the prosecution's investigation.

bhc stated that on the 12th, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office decided not to prosecute due to insufficient evidence regarding the case BBQ filed against six people, including Chairman Park, alleging unauthorized access to bhc's internal groupware to obtain key trade secrets in violation of the Information and Communications Network Act.

In 2016, BBQ filed a complaint against Chairman Park and five others for trade secret infringement, but the prosecution dismissed the case due to lack of evidence. BBQ appealed multiple times, but all were dismissed.

After several trade secret infringement complaints were dismissed, BBQ filed a similar complaint in 2019 under the Information and Communications Network Act, but this too was dismissed in November last year. Nevertheless, BBQ appealed the dismissal, prompting a reinvestigation order. However, the case was again dismissed due to insufficient evidence to support BBQ’s claims.

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, BBQ also lost a damages lawsuit it filed against bhc related to trade secret infringement.

A bhc official said, "We deeply regret that BBQ has repeatedly filed baseless complaints without evidence, despite multiple dismissals, in an attempt to undermine a competitor. Notably, according to the prosecution’s dismissal document, the key evidence BBQ claimed during the complaint and appeal process was proven false following the prosecution’s on-site investigation of BBQ. We will respond even more firmly to BBQ’s unilateral and unreasonable claims that disregard facts and legal principles."

In response, BBQ stated, "There is clear evidence such as possession of BBQ employees’ IDs and passwords, and the criminal trial against Chairman Park, which has been ongoing since March following prosecution by the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, continues separately. The criminal trial against Chairman Park is the most important issue in the legal dispute between the two companies, and its outcome is expected to impact the ongoing civil and criminal cases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.