Ex-Samsung employees jailed for leaking chip secrets to China: Check details here

Brand Samsung is renowned in the field of technology. They and their subsidiaries are often in the news for their product launches or relevant innovative developments. However, this time, another news surfaced.

Recently, seven of their employees have landed in jail. They were arrested due to their illegal procurement of chip-related technology and innovation which they shared with Chinese companies, located in China. It is a grave crime to share company secrets with any other brand or individual as employees are expected to regard the confidentiality of the same.

SEMES Co. is a subsidiary of Samsung which works in the field of manufacturing chipsets and displays. It has come to the forefront due to this case. Earlier, a researcher at SEMES spent four long years in jail due to the illegal obtainment of cleaning equipment for semiconductors. The researcher also used similar tech in order to manufacture and export to China. The Suwon District Court looked after this case at that time. The company was also fined after this proceeding due to the researcher’s actions.

Fast forward to today, six other employees of the same company were arrested. These employees will face up to 2 and a half years of jail time. They were found guilty of being involved in technology theft. Apart from this, the ex-employees also obtained equipment design blueprints through misappropriation.

The ex-employees did not limit their actions to theft or stealing information. They successfully manufactured 24 semiconductor cleaning equipment blueprints and sold them to Chinese companies and firms. Their names have not been disclosed yet.

South Korea is a leading nation in the manufacturing of semiconductor technologies which is super important for most countries today. China is trying to steal as foreign nations have turned their back, especially after the Covid-19 crisis.