사진@연합뉴스
SEOUL, Sangwoo Lee (Newsimpact) — A former senior researcher at Samsung Electronics has been found guilty of stealing semiconductor technology and has received a suspended sentence from a South Korean court.
On June 21, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Agreement Division 23, presided over by Chief Judge Oh Se-yong, sentenced Mr. Lee, a former Samsung researcher, to three years in prison, suspended for four years. He was also fined 20 million won (approximately $15,500) and ordered to complete 240 hours of community service.
Mr. Lee, who joined Samsung Electronics in 1998 and served for 24 years, also worked at the company’s semiconductor subsidiary in San Jose, California, and obtained U.S. permanent residency in 2021.
Prosecutors indicted Lee in August of last year, accusing him of leaking 120 Samsung trade secrets and 13 pieces of national core technology related to DRAM semiconductor stacking assembly, along with commercialization strategy documents. These leaks allegedly occurred between February and June 2022, as Lee sought employment with companies including Apple, Meta subsidiaries, Google, Tesla, and SK Hynix’s U.S. division.
The stolen DRAM stacking assembly technology deviates from the traditional method of mounting single chips on a substrate by stacking multiple chips, thereby achieving both size reduction and performance enhancement. National core technology is defined as having significant technical and economic value in both domestic and international markets, with high growth potential. Unauthorized overseas transfer of such technology poses substantial risks to national security and economic development.
The court acknowledged the severity of Mr. Lee’s actions, stating, "The leaked materials hold immense technical and economic value. If these materials had been transferred to foreign companies, it could have severely impacted the domestic economy and national security, given the importance of the semiconductor industry."
The court further noted that Lee had leaked the materials during a critical period in June 2022 while contemplating a move to Micron, a Samsung competitor. It was inferred that Lee was aware the leaked information comprised trade secrets and national core technology but proceeded regardless.
Despite the gravity of the offense, the court opted for a suspended sentence, considering factors such as the recovery of all leaked materials, the absence of evidence indicating that the data had reached foreign companies, and the lack of severe damage to Samsung Electronics as a result of the leak.
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