Former SK Hynix Employee Gets 18 Months in Prison for Leaking Tech to China

A former employee of South Korean semiconductor giant SK Hynix has received an 18-month prison sentence in an appellate court for illegally leaking the company's proprietary technology to a Chinese firm. The ruling upholds a previous sentence, emphasizing the severity of the industrial espionage.

The individual, identified only as Mr. Kim, 52, was accused of breaching internal security protocols to obtain and leak 170 trade secret documents. These documents, spanning approximately 5,900 pages, reportedly included crucial information related to image sensor semiconductor (CIS) technology. Kim allegedly copied this data to aid his job search with Chinese companies, including Huawei's subsidiary, HiSilicon.

The Seoul High Court found Kim guilty of violating laws related to unfair competition and the protection of trade secrets. However, the court acquitted him on charges specifically related to the leakage of technology data applicable to CIS production under the Industrial Technology Protection Act. This distinction in the ruling highlights the complex legal definitions surrounding industrial secrets and their protection.