SEOUL, South Korea – A former Samsung Display researcher has been indicted on charges of stealing and leaking trade secrets and core technologies to a Chinese company.
The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office announced on Monday that A, 57, a former researcher at Samsung Display, has been arrested and indicted. A is accused of taking photos of trade secrets and core technologies related to display manufacturing and leaking them to an undisclosed subsidiary of a Chinese company, B, after leaving Samsung Display and joining the Chinese firm.
A served as a resident in China for Samsung Display and was involved in the sale of Samsung Display's Chinese subsidiary to Chinese display company B in March and April 2021. During this process, A was found to have secretly negotiated a job with B while still employed at Samsung Display. He even asked Samsung Display to sign an employment contract with him under the name of an unknown company, citing the South Korean government and Samsung Display's sensitivity to the leakage of core technologies. In May 2021, A signed an employment contract with an undisclosed subsidiary of B.
A accessed Samsung Display's system and took a total of 17 photos of trade secrets related to the operating system of an automated factory. During a search of A's residence in May, prosecutors discovered additional trade secrets that had not been found during the initial police investigation. Among these, they identified materials classified as core technologies, leading to an additional charge of violating the Industrial Technology Protection Act.
Between November 2021 and May 2022, A sent the photographed materials directly to employees of B's subsidiary. In some cases, he even translated and processed the materials into Chinese. Prosecutors estimated the economic value of the leaked technology to be approximately 241.2 billion won (approximately $180 million). Some experts have estimated that the technological gap caused by this leak is equivalent to about 10 years.
A told employees of B's subsidiary, "You need to be thoroughly prepared to avoid being caught using trade secrets," and even after the search and seizure, he continued to inform B about the investigation and continued his work. He also agreed to be reimbursed for his legal fees.
Prosecutors stated, "We will strive to ensure that the defendant is sentenced to a punishment commensurate with his crimes."
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