Former LG Energy Solution Researcher Referred to Prosecution for Leaking National Core Technology to India

A former researcher at LG Energy Solution, accused of leaking national core technology to an Indian company, has been handed over to the prosecution.

According to relevant ministries on November 3, the Industrial Technology Security Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency referred Mr. A (49), a former principal researcher at LG Energy Solution, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on October 16 on charges of violating the Act on the Prevention of Divulgence and Protection of Industrial Technology. Mr. A is accused of leaking pouch-type ternary battery technology for secondary batteries after moving to the Indian electric two-wheeler company Ola in November 2023, following his tenure at LG Energy Solution's Nanjing plant in China.

The leaked technology has been designated by the government as national core technology and reportedly includes manufacturing methods, dimensions, raw material ratios, and production processes for next-generation high energy density secondary batteries. In August, the police searched Mr. A's residence and secured materials indicating evidence of the technology leak. It is known that Mr. A moved to another domestic company from Ola earlier this year, around the time the police launched their investigation.