The South Korean government is expediting its comprehensive plan to prevent the leakage of industrial technology by one year. It is also considering strengthening economic sanctions, including the confiscation of criminal proceeds and damages.
On August 25, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a policy council on industrial technology protection, chaired by Yang Gi-wook, head of the Industrial Resource Security Office. The meeting included discussions with relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the National Police Agency regarding the enhancement of the technology protection system and sanctions.
This initiative comes in response to a rising trend in the overseas leakage of industrial technology. According to the National Intelligence Service, there have been 96 reported cases of industrial technology leakage over the past five years, with an estimated prevented damage of about 23 trillion won. This averages more than 19 cases of overseas technology leakage detected annually.
Of the leaked technologies, 89.5% were concentrated in key domestic industries such as semiconductors, and many cases targeted small and medium-sized enterprises with relatively weak security systems.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy believes that as major countries utilize advanced technology as an economic and security tool, domestic core technologies may become targets for leakage. However, it has diagnosed that the current level of punishment and economic sanctions for technology leakage is insufficient to effectively deter such incidents.
Particularly concerning is the expansion of leakage channels beyond internal personnel to include partners and technologies like AI and cloud services.
During the council meeting, participants focused on strengthening the technology protection capabilities of institutions holding industrial technology, enhancing the technology protection system, and improving the effectiveness of sanctions against technology leakage. They also discussed support and management measures for small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, and research institutions, as well as ways to enhance the effectiveness of economic sanctions such as confiscation of criminal proceeds and damages.
Based on the discussions, the government plans to announce the '6th Comprehensive Plan for Industrial Technology Protection.' The government aims to implement this comprehensive plan one year earlier than originally scheduled to respond to the rapidly changing technology security environment.
Yang Gi-wook stated, "Industrial technology is a core strategic asset that embodies the efforts of the nation, companies, and talent, making its protection essential. We will respond severely to technology leakage by mobilizing national capabilities from policy formulation to investigation, prosecution, and judgment, following the principle of zero tolerance."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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