Government Announces Measures to Counter Technology Leakage
Technology Leakage Losses Total 23 Trillion Won in the Past 5 Years
To prevent the rapidly increasing attempts of overseas technology theft in advanced industries such as semiconductors, the government will establish regulations to punish 'technology leakage brokers.' The introduction of a reward system for reporting technology leaks is also being pursued.
On the 17th, the government held a Foreign Economic Ministers' Meeting at the Government Seoul Office, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, where these matters were discussed and approved.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Choi stated, "We will prevent the illegal outflow of advanced technology to enhance the global industrial competitiveness of our companies and strengthen technological leadership."
According to the National Intelligence Service, there have been 97 detected attempts of overseas technology leakage in the past five years, with estimated damages amounting to around 23 trillion won. Particularly, the proportion of leaks in advanced industries such as semiconductors and displays is high, with the number of semiconductor technology leakage cases rapidly increasing from 5 in 2021 to 9 in 2022 and 15 in 2023.
The government plans to establish a technology leakage prevention system using patent big data and support strengthening the response capabilities of vulnerable groups such as small and medium-sized enterprises in protecting their technologies.
Legal revisions will be made to allow civil and criminal penalties for acts facilitating trade secret infringement, and institutional improvements will be pursued to effectively respond to new methods of overseas leakage, such as leakage through Korean subsidiaries.
The introduction of a reward system for reporting trade secret leaks is also being pursued. Additionally, the government will expand the inclusion of technology and intellectual property protection provisions in trade agreements by proposing clauses that strengthen trade secret protection in the intellectual property chapters during trade negotiations with foreign countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi said, "We will establish new punishment regulations related to increasingly sophisticated technology leakage methods to strengthen penalties for trade secret leaks and unfair competition."
At the meeting, follow-up measures for diplomatic and economic cooperation with the Czech Republic, the Philippines, and Singapore, as well as the progress and future plans for the Korea-Georgia EPA negotiations, were also discussed.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi emphasized, "We will swiftly implement follow-up measures to ensure that the outcomes of the state visits to the Czech Republic, the Philippines, and Singapore lead to tangible improvements in investment, exports, and jobs for the public."
He added, "We will make every effort to ensure that the Czech nuclear power plant construction reaches the final contract without setbacks, and support the rapid conversion of the 56 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed this time into exports and orders. We will also expedite the ratification of the Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to strengthen safeguards against supply chain disruptions."
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