[ISN] Attempt to Steal Vital Korean LCD Technology Foiled

[InfoSec News]

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200601/200601160018.html

Jan. 16, 2006  

A former employee with Samsung Electronics has been arrested on
charges of industrial espionage in the attempt to set up on his own in
China using cutting-edge liquid crystal display technology stolen from
his former employer. Besides spiriting away thin-film transistor LCD
technology used to produce computer monitors and cell phone and TV
screens, the man identified as Park is also charged with trying to
poach Samsung research staff.

Prosecutors applied for an arrest warrant on Monday against Park on
suspicion of trying to set up a TFT-LCD color filter factory in
Shenzhen, China. They also booked another former Samsung employee
identified as Bae and a current researcher with the firm on related
charges without detention.

Park is accused of conspiring with Bae in March 2004 to obtain nine
confidential documents about production of TFT-LCDs and receiving
another document from the researcher in September last year,
prosecutors said. They are also investigating suspicions that Park
tried to lure 10 former and current Samsung R&D staff with the promise
of high salaries.

Samsung Electronics spent some W260 billion (US$260 million) on R&D
for the TFT-LCD core technology, and its theft could have caused it
some W5 trillion ($5 billion) in losses over the next five years, the
National Intelligence Service said. The agency says it prevented
losses of W35.5 trillion by uncovering 29 cases of industrial
espionage in 2005 alone.