South Korea ramps up spy law to protect chip secrets from China
Although China is not explicitly mentioned in the revised law, its rapid progress looms large over Seoul's efforts to guard its chip prowess.
South Korea is tightening its regulations on industrial espionage through a revised spying law set to take effect this weekend. The country, home to major chip manufacturers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, aims to protect its advanced memory technology from China's growing influence in the sector. In recent years, South Korea has imposed severe penalties on former chip-industry employees suspected of leaking trade secrets abroad.
However, courts have been limited by the nation's narrow definition of espionage, which only applied to individuals spying for North Korea, a nuclear-armed rival.
This will change on Sunday with sweeping amendments to legislation, allowing courts to sentence those who pass sensitive technology to any "foreign country or an organization equivalent thereto" to up to 30 years in prison. The shift elevates the theft of industrial secrets from a corporate offense to a national-security threat, reflecting the critical role semiconductors play in South Korea's economy and strategic power.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
