South Korean Chip Executives Again Detained On Alleged Technology Leaks To China

JAKARTA A South Korean executive accused of stealing semiconductor information developed by Samsung Electronics has been again detained on new charges of theft of chip processing technology, court officials and their lawyers said on Friday, September 6.

The Seoul Central District Court issued a detention warrant for Choi Jinseog on Thursday, September 5 for fear he would flee, a court official declined to provide further details.

Choi, a former Samsung executive who runs a chip manufacturing business in China, has been the subject of an industry espionage court that has been of public concern since July 2023 and has been arrested and released on bail in November last year. He denied all these allegations.

Now, Choi is facing new charges regarding the theft of information about 20 nanometer DRAM chip processing technology from Samsung, according to his lawyer, Kim Pilsung.

Kim stated that his client denied all allegations, and the information he was accused of was actually publicly available. Choi has not been charged with this new charge, his lawyer added. Samsung himself declined to comment.

The case highlights South Korea's efforts to crack down on industrial espionage and slow China's progress in chip manufacturing. Choi was indicted in June 2023 on charges of seeking to build an artificial chip factory in China using sensitive information developed by Samsung.

Choi, an award-winning engineer, was once considered a star in the South Korean chip industry. After being released on bail, Choi said in April that police were investigating him and one of his former employees, a former Samsung worker, on new charges related to Samsung's chip processing technology.