A former employee of Samsung is accused of passing chip information to China

An ex-employee of Samsung stole information on semiconductor chips and tried to launch a new chip company in China. According to reports, South Korea has charged an ex-Samsung Electronics employee with disclosing sensitive information to China. The former employee allegedly attempted to establish a chip factory in China using technology linked to Samsung’s semiconductor chips.

The individual previously served as Vice President for SK Hynix, a different South Korean company that manufactures chips. According to South Korean prosecutors from the Suwon District, the employee attempted to establish a chip factory in Xian, China, between 2018 and 2019. He wanted to set up a semiconductor chip company. For this purpose, he illegally obtained Samsung’s proprietary secrets. Samsung’s semiconductor manufacturing in Xian was 1.5 km away from the factory.

The accusation has been filed. However, there is no information regarding the date of the trial. The culprit has dedicated 28 years of his life working at South Korean semiconductor chip firms. The plan of the culprit failed due to a lack of funds for the chip factory. Besides the main culprit, six other people have also been accused because of their linkage with this industry espionage.

According to reports, the South Korean tech giant Samsung lost almost KRW 30 billion (around $23 million) due to an information breach. In accordance with the report by Reuters, neither Samsung Electronics nor SK Hynix has commented on this subject.