NIS and Ministry of Trade Accelerate Investigation into Samsung Electronics 'Semiconductor Confidential' Leak Allegations

Considering the Seriousness of the Issue... Government Ministries Respond Swiftly
Ministry of Industry Holds Semiconductor Expert Committee Based on NIS Investigation
Samsung Electronics Also Takes Measures to Prevent Recurrence

Samsung Electronics Hwaseong Campus.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy are accelerating their investigation into an incident where an employee of Samsung Electronics' semiconductor (DS) division, who was about to resign, was caught attempting to leak core semiconductor technologies to external parties. The key issues in the investigation are the extent and confidentiality level of the leaked materials, and whether they have already been delivered to competitors or others.

According to government and business sources on the 25th, the NIS has officially launched an investigation into the attempted leak of core semiconductor technologies at Samsung Electronics. (Refer to our exclusive report on March 23: [Exclusive] Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Core Technology Leak Attempt by Internal Employee Detected)

A source said, "The NIS has been leading the investigation since immediately after the incident occurred," adding, "Samsung Electronics is also conducting a thorough internal investigation."

It is known that the NIS investigation is being led by the ‘Industrial Confidentiality Protection Center,’ a dedicated organization for industrial technology security. The Industrial Confidentiality Protection Center is responsible for preventing the overseas leakage of industrial technologies, such as semiconductors, designated as national core technologies under the ‘Act on the Prevention and Protection of Industrial Technology Leakage.’

The reason for the NIS’s swift investigation is believed to be the need to quickly understand the circumstances and purpose of the incident, considering its seriousness. The employee caught by the company accessed hundreds of semiconductor technology documents, and since the incident occurred during remote work, the possibility that materials have already been leaked externally cannot be ruled out.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is also closely monitoring the NIS investigation. It is reported that they are considering conducting joint on-site investigations with the NIS if necessary. In particular, once the NIS investigation concludes, the Ministry plans to convene the Semiconductor Expert Committee under the Industrial Technology Protection Committee to discuss countermeasures and whether to file charges.

The Semiconductor Expert Committee is expected to focus on whether the internal materials the employee attempted to leak fall under ‘national core technologies.’ If an attempt to leak national core technologies is confirmed, the Ministry is expected to collaborate with the NIS to file a criminal complaint with the prosecution.

An official from the Ministry said, "The Semiconductor Expert Committee will be held after the NIS investigation is completed," adding, "Based on the investigation, a comprehensive judgment will be made by reviewing the importance and sensitivity of the materials involved in the attempted leak." Samsung Electronics is also preparing its own internal investigation and response measures related to this incident.

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