"Sincere Attitude and Substantial Evidence Secured... Guarantee of Right to Defense"
A former Samsung Electronics researcher accused of leaking semiconductor technology to China avoided detention.
Lee Min-su, the warrant judge at the Seoul Central District Court, dismissed the arrest warrant for former Samsung Electronics researcher A, who is charged with violating the Act on the Prevention of Unfair Competition and Protection of Trade Secrets, on the 16th.
The court stated, "Considering that Mr. A has no significant criminal record, has a fixed residence, has cooperated sincerely with the investigation, and that a substantial amount of related evidence has been secured," adding, "Given Mr. A's attitude during the interrogation and the defense arguments, it is difficult to recognize the necessity of detention at this stage." The court also explained the reason for dismissal, saying, "There is room to legally dispute the offense, and considering the progress of the investigation so far, it seems necessary to guarantee Mr. A's right to defense."
Earlier, Mr. A was accused of unlawfully leaking about 700 process diagrams of Samsung Electronics' independently developed 20-nanometer class DRAM technology to Chengdu Gaoxin, a Chinese semiconductor company. Chengdu Gaoxin was established in 2021 in Chengdu City, China, with an investment of approximately 460 billion KRW, by Choi, who previously served as an executive at Samsung Electronics and vice president at SK Hynix in Korea.
During the pre-arrest detention hearing on the day, the police submitted to the court some design materials of the 18-nanometer DRAM process, which is a higher technology than the 20-nanometer, and documents on the 16-nanometer DRAM development plan seized from Mr. A, emphasizing the seriousness of the case. The police are also expanding the investigation after detecting signs that Chengdu Gaoxin has poached a large number of domestic semiconductor personnel.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
