Preparing to change jobs at overseas companies, stealing data… Leakage through subcontractors
Former and current Samsung Group executives and employees who leaked cutting-edge industrial technology related to domestic semiconductors abroad were handed over to trial.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office’s Information Technology Crime Investigation Department (Prosecutor Seong-beom Lee) violated the Unfair Competition Prevention Act (disclosure of trade secrets abroad, etc.) On the 27th, he announced that he had been indicted on the charge of etc.
Mr. A, who was in charge of semiconductor-related work at a Samsung Group affiliate, is accused of receiving and leaking key technical data such as ultrapure water system operation manuals and design drawings from Samsung Engineering employees while preparing to move to a Chinese semiconductor consulting company in August 2018.
Ultrapure water is water that is close to pure water from which various impurities such as ions, organic matter, and microorganisms in water have been removed to less than 1/10 trillion units, and is used for various cleaning operations required for semiconductor processes.
If there are impurities in the water, defects will occur, so stably supplying ultrapure water greatly affects the semiconductor yield.
Since 2006, Samsung Electronics has invested more than 30 billion won every year to develop ultrapure water systems.
A, who moved to a Chinese company, ordered an ultra-pure water system using the stolen data and requested technical explanation data that meets the specifications of Samsung Engineering’s system from the participating companies in the bid.
An executive from Company B, who was a subcontractor for the construction of an ultrapure water system, met with Samsung Engineering researchers to participate in the bidding, used another cutting-edge technology ‘design template’ without permission, wrote a technical description, and handed it to Mr. A.
Company B’s executives and employees took out and stored key technical data related to ultrapure water systems without permission to use them in their personal business following leaving the company.
The prosecution also indicted four executives and employees of Company B and a corporation on charges of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
The prosecution also indicted researcher C, who was accused of leaking files containing core technology of foundry semiconductors to Intel, an overseas competitor, while working for Samsung Electronics.
It was investigated that Mr. C was preparing to move to Intel and took advantage of his telecommuting situation to read semiconductor technical data at his residence, then filmed it and stole it.
Prosecutors said, “Once leaked, it is difficult to estimate the damage and virtually impossible to recover.”
/yunhap news