It Is Suspected That The Bulk Of Semiconductor And Leaksin Technology Abroad, Workers And Former Samsung Employees Faced The Indictment

Illustration. (Pixabay/MiamiAccident Lawyer)

JAKARTA - Prosecutors charged four people consisting of workers and former workers of the electronics giant Samsung Group, on charges of stealing high-value semiconductor technology from the company and leaking it to foreign companies, officials said Thursday.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office has indicted two Samsung Engineering researchers and two other former Samsung engineers with physical detention on charges of violating unhealthy competition precautions and industrial technology protection measures, officials said.

One former employee, who works in the semiconductor sector, is accused of receiving operational manuals and blueprints for an ultrapure water system and other important technology data, from two Samsung Engineering workers and leaked it in August 2018, when he tried to find a new job at a Chinese semiconductor consulting firm., as reported by the Korea Times 27 October

After getting a job at a Chinese company, the engineer allegedly used stolen material to order an ultrapurpose water system system.

Ultrapurpose water is purplish water from any ion, organic material, or microbial that will be used for cleaning in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

It is known, Samsung Electronics has invested more than 30 billion won (21.2 million US dollars) annually since 2006, to develop an ultrapurpose water system.

Separately, prosecutors said another former employee was facing charges of leaking Samsung Electronics semiconductor technology computer files into Intel's semiconductor rivals while he was working for a Korean company.

He was in the process of moving jobs to Intel at the time, and accessing corporate semiconductor technology data online and stealing files by taking photos, according to prosecutors.