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SK hynix employee indicted on charges of leaking advanced tech to China

Published: 07 May. 2025, 17:06 Updated: 07 May. 2025, 20:33

The SK hynix headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 23 [YONHAP]

A former SK hynix employee has been indicted on charges of leaking advanced semiconductor technology to China.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Wednesday that it had indicted and detained a 51-year-old former employee, surnamed Kim, for violating the Act on Prevention of Divulgence and Protection of Industrial Technology.

Kim is accused of illegally obtaining sensitive technical documents from SK hynix and leaking them by attaching them to job applications sent to Chinese companies.

Prosecutors said Kim printed or photographed more than 11,000 documents while working as a resident employee at SK hynix’s China office in 2022. The materials reportedly contained trade secrets and advanced technologies related to image sensors.

The investigation found that Kim began collecting semiconductor process data after receiving a job offer from a Huawei affiliate. Among the leaked materials were core technologies for CMOS image sensor microfabrication and high bandwidth memory used in AI semiconductors.

To avoid detection, Kim allegedly removed labels such as “confidential” and the SK hynix logo from the documents while copying them.

Kim is also suspected of leaking information by quoting it in resumes submitted to Huawei’s affiliate and other Chinese companies. However, prosecutors said the job change did not materialize, and Kim did not receive any financial compensation.

“We will respond firmly to technology leaks that threaten companies and the national economy,” a prosecution official said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SUK GYEONG-MIN [[email protected]]