Domestic Submarine Technology Leak... Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Submarine Blueprints Sent to Taiwan

The design drawings of a submarine developed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, now Hanwha Ocean, have been entirely leaked to Taiwan, prompting a police investigation.

According to the police on the 4th, two individuals, including former Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering employee Mr. A, are under non-custodial investigation on charges of leaking internal trade secrets.

The police have determined that Mr. A and others transferred the drawings to the Taiwanese side after moving from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering to Company B, a submarine development consulting firm.

The 2,000-page drawings pertain to the DSME1400 vessels, three of which Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering sold to Indonesia starting in 2011 for 1.16 trillion won. It is reported that this leak was used in the development of Taiwan's first indigenous submarine, the "Hai Kun."

Since 2016, Taiwan has been pursuing the IDS project, its first domestically produced defense submarine, with a budget of $16 billion, approximately 19.0128 trillion won, and unveiled the first IDS "Hai Kun" submarine in September last year.

DSME1400-class submarine exported to Indonesia by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (now Hanwha Ocean).
[Photo by Hanwha Ocean website]

The police believe that the drawings were leaked during the process of Company B collaborating with Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC) to build the submarine, and have registered Company B on charges of failing to prevent the technology leak.

Company B is currently on trial for illegally exporting parts used in the production of the Hai Kun submarine overseas last year.

In the first trial in August last year, an executive of Company B was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation for violating the Foreign Trade Act, and Company B was fined 1 billion won.

The leak was revealed through a tip-off from a pro-China lawmaker in Taiwan, and Hanwha Ocean is reportedly investigating the circumstances of the technology leak.

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