Copying an Entire Semiconductor Factory... How to Prevent Technology Leakage?

47 Cases of National Core Technology Leakage from 2016 to 2023
Supreme Court to Strengthen Sentencing for Technology Leakage Crimes

A former executive of Samsung Electronics was caught attempting to build a 'replica factory' in China by stealing design data from Samsung Electronics' semiconductor plant, bringing the issue of advanced technology leakage overseas into the spotlight.

Mr. Choi, a former Samsung Electronics executive director and vice president of SK Hynix's semiconductor division, was arrested and indicted by prosecutors on the 12th for stealing Samsung Electronics' trade secrets, including semiconductor plant BED (Basic Engineering Data), process layout, and factory design drawings, to establish a replica factory in China.

The semiconductor plant BED is a technology to create an optimal environment free of impurities in the space where semiconductor manufacturing takes place, and the process layout is a drawing containing information such as the arrangement and area of the eight key processes for semiconductor production.

These technologies pertain to 30-nanometer or smaller DRAM and NAND flash semiconductor process technologies used in laptops and mobile phones, classified as national core technologies under Article 2 of the Industrial Technology Protection Act. If the replica factory had actually been built, it is expected that the competitiveness of the Korean semiconductor industry would have suffered a massive blow.

High school students participating in the '2023 Korea High School Graduate Talent Recruitment Expo' held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on May 31 are listening to an explanation about semiconductor processes. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the 14th, Ahn Ki-hyun, Executive Director of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "When competition arises, the technology gap narrows, and as the technology gap narrows, our relative technological competitiveness declines," adding, "In the long term, (China) could surpass our technology."

Regarding Mr. Choi's attempt to leak technology, Executive Director Ahn said, "It is regrettable that we failed to embrace this issue both nationally and industrially," and added, "He is someone who conducts business supporting the semiconductor industry and semiconductor technology targeting China, which is why this happened."

In fact, China continues attempts to scout key Korean semiconductor personnel by offering high salaries, and incidents of core technology being leaked through engineers are also frequently occurring.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to the office of Im Oh-kyung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, from 2016 to last year, there were a total of 142 cases of industrial technology leakage overseas in sectors such as semiconductors, electrical and electronics, shipbuilding, and displays. In particular, there have been 47 cases of leakage of national core technologies from 2016 to this year.

Executive Director Ahn suggested, "First, we need to enable these individuals to work with pride," and "Second, we should ensure that the technological capabilities they possess can provide jobs in Korea for a long time."

Meanwhile, as the leakage of advanced technologies including semiconductors has been a recurring issue, the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission has decided to strengthen sentencing guidelines for technology leakage crimes. The commission plans to complete revisions to the sentencing guidelines for technology leakage crimes around April next year.

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