Exec tried to set up copy-cat Samsung fab in China

The project, which was backed by an unnamed Taiwanese company, collapsed through lack of funds. The backer had originally promised $6 billion.

“It’s so serious that it’s difficult to compare it in terms of the scale of the crime and the degree of damage with previous individual semiconductor technology leakage cases,” said the Korean prosecutors.

The attempt to set up the copy-cat fab ran from 2018-9 before running out of money and the exec then got  a Chengdu fab to make prototype ICs designed by Samsung. 

The exec, who worked for 18 years for Samsung, is said to have set up several semiconductor companies in Singapore and China backed by both Chinese and Taiwanese money.

He is said to have recruited over 200 semiconductor engineers from Korean comoanies.

“It’s a grave crime that could deal a heavy blow to our economic security by shaking the foundation of the domestic chip industry at a time of intensifying competition in chip manufacturing ,“ said the prosecutors.

Six other people, alleged accomplices in the crime, have also been indicted.

“We will strongly deal with any leakage of our technology abroad, and strongly respond to illegal league of the best companies call technologies in semiconductor automobile, and shipbuilding sectors, among others,“ said the Seoul police.