Samsung Ex-Execs Arrested for Stealing Trade Secrets Worth $3.2 Billion for Chinese Copycat Plant

By Mehtab Ansari • Updated On 11 Sept 2024

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The South Korean police have arrested former Samsung executives for allegedly stealing trade secrets valued at over 4.3 trillion won (about $3.2 billion) and sending them to China. The shocking betrayal involved setting up a joint venture with Chinese officials to build a copycat semiconductor plant, a move that could potentially shake the industry.

Among those arrested is a 66-year-old man identified as Choi, who recruited South Korean chip experts and leaked Samsung’s memory technology. This stolen data was used to produce 20nm DRAM chips last year, which worsened the global chip shortage at a critical time.

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The case, which first surfaced in 2023, echoes past instances of tech espionage, including when another former Samsung executive tried to replicate an entire fabrication plant in China last year.

The Seoul police have labeled this incident a “severe security breach,” with Choi and a plant designer surnamed Oh, now behind bars. Despite the gravity of the situation, Samsung representatives are yet to break its silence on the matter.

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Mehtab Ansari

Mehtab Ansari is the Assistant Editor – Features & Reviews at Smartprix, where he writes about smartphones, laptops, audio gear, and everything in between. A computer science student by degree but a tech nerd by heart, he’s been into consumer tech for years and started reviewing products professionally in February 2024. He’s especially into photography and audio, often spending more time testing a smartphone’s camera than he probably should. For him, tech isn’t just work, it’s what he’s always thinking about.

Expertise

Smartphones, laptops, tablets, monitors, smartwatches, photography, and audio gear. I’ve reviewed over 60 products across these categories on Smartprix in the past year and a half.

Education - Bachelor of Computer Applications – Nizam College, Hyderabad (2022–2025) | Joined Smartprix -February 2024 | Published Reviews & Stories - 723

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