South Korea Tightens Punishment For Theft Of Industrial Technology Secrets

Illustration of South Korea tightening the punishment of technology leakers. (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - On Monday, August 28, South Korea announced that it would tighten penalties for the secret theft of industrial technology. This comes after concerns that current regulations are not strong enough to prevent efforts to channel technology from companies like Samsung.

South Korea has been aggressively tackling technological leaks in recent months, as the country seeks to maintain its increasingly reduced advantages in memory chips and screen displays against its competitors.

According to the South Korean Ministry of Industry in a statement on Monday, South Korea's Judicial Commission, overseen by the Korean Supreme Court, decided this month to tighten sentences and extend detention terms for South Korea's technological breaches. Details of a new punishment guide are expected to be released early next year.

The Ministry of Industry did not mention which countries were targeted, but analysts say China is a suspected destination of most South Korean technology leaks.

Although South Korea's sentence for technological leakage is similar to that of punishments in other countries, including imprisonment for five years or more for those who leak technology with a "significant impact on national and economic security", in practice the punishment is less firm because of difficult requirements to meet, the industry ministry said.

Previous rules required prosecutors to prove the suspect's intention to leak secrets for the act to be convicted of core technology leakage. This resulted in release in 30% cases and prison sentences suspended in 54% of cases before South Korean courts.

Rules to prevent previously unregulated technological leaks, such as leaks after foreign private equity funds purchased South Korean companies, will also be included in a revised bill that will be submitted to parliament, the ministry said.

South Korean police said in June that they had arrested 77 people in 35 cases of alleged industrial espionage in a national investigation over the past four months.