On Tuesday,China confirmed the detention of a South Korean national on espionage suspicions, stating that it had informed the South Korean embassy officials but refrained from sharing specific details about the individual in question or the allegations made against him. This is the inaugural example of a South Korean citizen being detained under an expanded counter espionage law that was instituted in July in the preceding year. This case bears the potential of discouraging the South Korean enterprises from investing or operating in China, who is their largest trade partner, specifically in the light of the recent exodus of the Japanese nationals after a compatriot working for Astellas Pharma Inc faced analogous allegations.
The case revolves around a former Samsung Electronics employee, who subsequently joined a Chinese semiconductor form as reported by the Yonhap News Agency. The South Korean citizen was apprehended by Chinese officials under lawful procedures on potential grounds of suspected espionage disclosed by Lin Jian who is a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a routine press conference omitting further specifics. Lin further remarked that the Korean embassy had been duly informed of the case.
On Monday , Yonhap reported that the individual in question was suspected of delivering semiconductor related intelligence to South Korean authorities and was residing in Hefei, a city located in China’s eastern Anhui province, at the time of detention. It is important to note here that, Hefei houses the headquarters of multiple leading Chinese semiconductor firms including Changxin Memory Technologies. Following the US sanction on the export of advanced foreign semiconductors and chip manufacturing equipments to China in 2020, Beijing had channeled billions of dollars into its domestic semiconductor sector, pursuing an overarching objective of technological self-dependency and self sufficiency.
A relative of the detained individual disclosed to South Korean National Broadcaster KBS, on Tuesday that the suspect had been apprehended by the National security department in Hefei in December.The report featured an official notification issued to the family, indicating that the individual had been detained on suspicion of espionage as of December 18.
The heightened tensions surrounding the semiconductor industry have compelled Beijing to be increasingly vigilant against potential information leaks, which it perceives as serious threat to the National security.Confirmation of the recent arrest also follows stringent actions by Seoul aimed at curbing what it identifies as the misappropriation of semiconductor intellectual property (IP) by Chinese entities. Last month, a former Samsung executive named Choi Jinseong oversaw a chup manufacturing operation in China & was detained in renewedl allegations involving the unauthorized transfer of chip processing technology.
Choi had previously been embroiled in a prominent industrial espionage trial since July 2023, a case that underscored Korea’s reinvigorated efforts to combat industrial espionage & impede China’s advancements in semiconductor technology. Choi however has consistently refuted all allegations of misconduct.
