South Korean media are reporting that the Communist Party of China is turning to South Korea as the U.S. and Japan tighten protections for key domestic technologies, leading to increasing leaks of key technologies such as semiconductors and rechargeable batteries in the country.
According to Kwon Myung-ho, a lawmaker from South Korea’s largest opposition party, the National Power Party, South Korea’s intelligence agencies uncovered nine leaks of key technologies last year, but this year there were four in the first quarter alone, almost half the number of last year, BusinessKorea reported.
Looking at the past, from 2015 to March this year, there were 37 incidents of key technology leaks, including 14 in the shipbuilding sector, 10 in the electrical and electronics sector, 5 in the display sector, 4 in the automotive sector, 2 in the information and communication sector, and 2 in other industries (including steel). From 2015 to 2020, the number of leaks will gradually increase from 3 to 9 per year, and according to the industry, most of the incidents are related to China.
The Korea Police Service also recently announced that the frequency of industrial technology and trade secrets leaks increased from 12 to 20 between 2014 and 2018, with 48 of the 71 cases occurring during that period involving China.
South Korea currently has 71 key technologies and technology protections in 12 fields, including automobiles, shipbuilding, semiconductors, screen displays and electronics, and government approval is required for any export or sale involving these technologies, which could have significant implications for national security and economic development.
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