LS Cable & System: "Technology Theft Is a Clear Crime... Legal Action Will Be Taken If True"

Police Raid on Daehan Jeonseon on the 11th
Related to A Architecture Office's 'Technology Leak' Case

LS Cable & System stated on the 15th that if the leak is proven true regarding the submarine cable factory design technology leak incident, it will take all legal measures domestically and internationally against LS Cable & System Korea, which was raided by the police.

LS Cable Donghae Plant Overview. Photo by LS Cable

According to industry sources on the same day, the Industrial Technology Security Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency conducted a raid on the offices of LS Cable & System Korea in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on the 11th in connection with a case involving A Architectural Office's violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.

A Architectural Office was responsible for the architectural design of LS Cable & System's HVDC factory from 2008 to 2023 and later participated in the construction of LS Cable & System Korea's Submarine Cable Factory No. 1, which is a competitor of LS Cable & System. This factory was built in the Godeok District of the Asan National Industrial Complex in Dangjin-si, Chungnam Province, and began operations on the 3rd. The police suspect that the architectural office leaked submarine cable-related technologies secured during the design of LS Cable & System's factory while designing LS Cable & System Korea's factory.

Regarding this, LS Cable & System claimed that the core of the incident is whether LS Cable & System Korea stole LS Cable & System's submarine cable manufacturing facility drawings and layouts, emphasizing that "the submarine cables that LS Cable & System Korea claims to have supplied are only short cables of about 1 to 2 km," and "the technology to manufacture and transport long cables spanning tens of kilometers and thousands of tons, namely the equipment and factory layout, is the core competitiveness of the submarine business."

LS Cable & System further explained that submarine cable equipment and layouts are independently established by each manufacturer and are generally not disclosed, stating, "LS Cable & System also custom-made its equipment and established manufacturing know-how through thousands of billions of won in research and development (R&D) investments and failure costs during the construction process from Submarine Factory 1 to 4," expressing confidence that the technology was leaked through the architectural office.

Additionally, LS Cable & System revealed that it provided A Architectural Office with drawings specifying the size, weight, and characteristics of each piece of equipment for the layout of extrusion, wire drawing, and other process facilities, raising suspicions by stating, "LS Cable & System Korea contacted the architectural office first and requested several designs, with the contract amount reportedly more than twice that of LS Cable & System," and "I have also heard that they contacted other LS Cable & System partners for the production and layout of the same equipment."

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