South Korea imposes up to 30 years for tech espionage
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South Korea has enacted a revised espionage law that raises the maximum penalty for leaking key industrial technologies to foreign states or related organizations to 30 years in prison. The change comes amid the prosecution of ten former Samsung employees accused of transferring memory chip technology to China's CXMT, with estimated losses of about 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) in 2024 sales.
Key Facts
- The revised South Korean espionage law raises the maximum penalty for transferring sensitive industrial technology to a foreign state or related organization to 30 years in prison.
- Seoul prosecutors have charged ten former Samsung employees with transferring memory chip technology to Chinese manufacturer CXMT.
- The alleged leak may have cost Samsung about 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) in 2024 sales, according to the prosecution's estimate.
- China accounted for about half of the foreign-linked technology leak cases detected by South Korean police last year.
The Revised Espionage Law
South Korea's updated espionage law removes the previous restriction that limited its application mainly to activities benefiting North Korea. The new legislation expands the range of foreign recipients of classified information and shifts industrial espionage cases from corporate crime to national security. The maximum penalty for transferring sensitive technology to a foreign state or related organization is now 30 years in prison.
Samsung Technology Leak Case
Seoul prosecutors have charged ten former Samsung employees with transferring memory chip technology to Chinese manufacturer CXMT. The prosecution estimates the leak may have cost Samsung about 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) in 2024 sales. South Korean police data show China accounted for about half of the foreign-linked technology leak cases detected last year.
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