[ISN] NIS Thwarted 100 Industrial Spies Since '98'

[InfoSec News]

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200503/200503230043.html

March 23, 2005 

Korean intelligence foiled 96 cases of attempted industrial espionage
between 1998 and 2004, preventing losses of W58.2 trillion (US$58
billion), the service said Wednesday.

An official from the National Intelligence Service (NIS)¡¯s Industrial
Secrets Protection Center made the claim during a seminar at the
Federation of Korean Industries¡¯ conference center on preventing
leaks of industrial technology secrets.

He said most of the cases of attempted technology theft involved
current and former employees who sold out, with 40 cases involving
former employees and 16 current. Most involved IT technology like
semiconductors, cell phones and LCDs. By year, 2002 witnessed five
foiled attempts and 2003 six, but 2004 saw a frenzy of attempts with
26.

An NIS official said the service began a full-scale crackdown on
industrial espionage after the Roh administration took office in 2003
and the number of cases uncovered increased. But he said foiled
attempts barely scratched the surface. He added the focus of the
crackdown was leaks of technological secrets to China.