Chip Espionage: Ex-Samsung Executives Arrested for Allegedly Leaking Tech Secrets to China in Memory Technology Theft Saga

Conflict over technology: Ex-Samsung leaders detained for supposedly pilfering tech secrets for China

According to South Korean law enforcement, the duo supposedly divulged memory technology secrets to Chinese authorities who aimed to duplicate a semiconductor manufacturing plant.

On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency outlined how the duo worked together with local Chinese authorities to construct a semiconductor plant. They identified one of the individuals as a 66-year-old named Choi, who enlisted the help of South Korean chip specialists and disclosed Samsung memory technologies through a joint venture, according to the police statement.

No specific timelines or Chinese locations were provided. However, some of the information was similar to a case that was initially exposed in 2023, during a period of heightened tension between Beijing and Washington due to sanctions targeting China's semiconductor industry. In that particular case, a former executive from Samsung was apprehended for supposedly pilfering plans with the intention of duplicating a full-scale manufacturing facility in China.

On Tuesday, law enforcement officials in Seoul detailed an incident they referred to as a grave breach of security, carried out via a Chinese joint enterprise, Chengdu Gaozhen. According to the police, Choi, who was the head of the venture, received assistance from a plant designer with the last name Oh.