Recently, a former Samsung employee, identified as Kim, was issued an arrest warrant for allegedly leaking Samsung chip technology to a Chinese company. Kim, who previously served as a department head at Samsung, has been charged with violating the industrial technology protection law. It is alleged that he leaked information related to the 16-nano DRAM semiconductor to the Chinese semiconductor manufacturer ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), resulting in damages estimated at $1.8 billion.

According to reports, Kim retired from Samsung in 2016 and went on to work for CXMT in China, where he was paid an “extraordinary” annual salary. It is claimed that he shared Samsung’s semiconductor deposition technology with his new employer. Another individual, identified as Bang, who is described as a former Samsung subcontractor, was also arrested in connection with the case.

Both suspects, who were residing in China, have since returned to South Korea and were promptly arrested on charges of violating South Korea’s Prevention and Protection of Industrial Technology Leakage Act. The case is a reminder of the ongoing battle to protect valuable technological secrets in the industry.