**Leaked 4,000 Pages of National Core Technology for Reducing Semiconductor Defect Rate**
(Yeoju, Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Woo-sung – A Chinese employee accused of leaking SK Hynix’s core semiconductor technology received a prison sentence in the first trial.
On the 7th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Yeoju branch of the Suwon District Court (presiding Judge Lim Dae-ho) sentenced a former SK Hynix employee, Ms. A (36, female, Chinese nationality), to 1 year and 6 months in prison and a fine of 20 million KRW for charges including violating the Act on the Prevention and Protection of Industrial Technology Leaks.
The court stated, “The semiconductor technology printed by the defendant just before resigning from Hynix was designated as a national core technology in 2022. Although the defendant claims it was printed for study and work transfer purposes, reviewing the investigation records led to the conclusion that the charges are credible and guilty.”
Furthermore, the court pointed out, “It is unusual for the defendant to have printed about 4,000 pages of technical documents on A4 paper at the relatively unsecure Shanghai branch four days before resigning. It is reasonable to suspect that she took home about 300 pages each day in backpacks and shopping bags, and this suspicion is considered justified.”
Regarding the purpose of the leak, the court added, “It is reasonable to infer that the defendant leaked the information to gain recognition for her value after she joined Huawei in China following her resignation from Hynix.”
However, the court also stated, “The extent to which the defendant used the leaked technology is unclear, and the damage to the victim company has not been clarified, which was considered in the sentencing.”
Ms. A joined SK Hynix in 2013 and worked continuously in a department analyzing defects in semiconductor design. From 2020 to 2022, she was employed as a team leader managing business-to-business customer consultations at a local branch in China.
In June 2022, after returning to Korea, Ms. A transferred to Huawei in China with a high salary.
She was found to have printed documents, approximately 4,000 A4 pages, related to solutions for semiconductor process problems just before leaving Hynix.
SK Hynix prohibits the use of storage media such as USBs for security reasons and thoroughly records and manages the content, printer, and usage of printed materials.