KCS: "Blocking Technology Leakage of Semiconductors at Border Stage... Strengthening International Cooperation"

On the 5th, the Korea Customs Service announced that it will strengthen enforcement activities at border checkpoints and international cooperation this year to prevent the illegal leakage of advanced technologies and strategic goods such as semiconductors.

Recently, there have been continuous attempts to steal technologies in fields such as semiconductors, displays, secondary batteries, shipbuilding, and steel to competing countries. In May last year, five individuals including Mr. A were caught by customs authorities while trying to smuggle seven air knives (worth 5.8 billion KRW), produced (copied) using steel sheet plating control equipment technology patented by POSCO and designated as a national advanced technology, overseas.

Mr. A and others had already exported some of the air knives, and were caught by customs authorities while attempting to export the remaining three air knives, which were confiscated. The Korea Customs Service estimated that if the three air knives had been exported to overseas steel companies, those companies could have gained unfair profits worth up to 660 billion KRW.

In November last year, a company was caught by customs authorities for illegally exporting semiconductor equipment controlled by international sanctions without government permission. The company’s representative was also included on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals list for transferring semiconductor technology to a U.S.-sanctioned entity.

Accordingly, the Korea Customs Service plans to expand border control over technology-infringing goods and strategic materials this year and strengthen cooperation with domestic and international agencies to fully prevent the overseas leakage of advanced technologies. First, the Customs Service will intensify crackdowns on the circumvention of international sanctions by rerouting strategic goods through third countries. It also plans to expand the scope of enforcement to investigate cases where domestic technical personnel transfer technology to overseas companies under the pretext of training and demonstrations.

In particular, to enable rapid detection and investigation of technology leakage, the Customs Service will cooperate by sharing information with participating agencies of the “Intergovernmental Joint Response Team for Technology Leakage,” which was launched last November. The joint response team consists of 10 agencies including the Korea Customs Service, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, National Police Agency, Korean Intellectual Property Office, and the National Intelligence Service.

Additionally, the strategy includes strengthening international cooperation among the governments of Korea, the United States, and Japan to prevent the leakage of advanced technologies and strategic goods from the border stage.

A Korea Customs Service official stated, “The overseas leakage of advanced technologies and evasion of export controls on strategic goods can cause serious disadvantages to domestic economic security. This year, based on past investigative experience, the Customs Service will make every effort to prevent technology-infringing goods and strategic materials from leaking to competing countries.”

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