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China linked to over half of Korea's outbound technology leaks last year

Published: 19 Jan. 2026, 17:24

A Chinese flag is displayed next to ″Made in China″ marking on a printed circuit board in this illustration from Feb. 17, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

China was linked to more than half of Korea's technology leaks involving foreign countries in 2025, with semiconductor and battery technologies particularly targeted.

Authorities uncovered 179 cases of technology leakage in 2025, marking a 45.5 percent increase from the previous year, according to the National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency on Monday. Arrests were carried out against 378 individuals, with six held in detention.

Among the 179 cases, 33 involved the attempted transfer of data out of Korea. China accounted for 18 of the cases, or 54.5 percent, followed by Vietnam with four cases and the United States and Indonesia with three each.

The percentage of cases linked to China had been rising steadily — from 50 percent in 2022 to 68.1 percent in 2023 and 74.1 percent in 2024 — before falling to 54.5 percent last year. Police said the dip reflected a broader distribution of cases involving other countries rather than a decline in attempts to send information to China.

3-D printed models of people work on computers with a padlock in the foreground in front of the text "data leaking" and binary code in this illustration from Feb. 1, 2022. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

High-tech sectors remained the primary targets. Of the outbound leaks, five involved semiconductors. Display technology followed with four cases, secondary batteries with three and shipbuilding with two. The leaks focused on Korea’s globally competitive technologies.

In one case last May, the police arrested a former employee of a semiconductor materials supplier at Incheon International Airport.

The suspect, surnamed Kim, allegedly attempted to smuggle chip-packaging technology related to high bandwidth memory (HBM) to China. Police later arrested three accomplices and referred them to prosecutors for indictment. HBM is a core component in AI semiconductors and played a major role in SK hynix’s record-breaking earnings last year.

Other arrests included three individuals accused of transmitting blueprints for methanol fuel cells to foreign investors and a former battery researcher who allegedly stored proprietary technology on a personal laptop before moving to an overseas competitor.

A sixth-generation HBM4 chip is on display at the SK hynix booth during the 2025 Semiconductor Exhibition at Coex in southern Seoul on Oct. 22, 2025. [YONHAP]

Most cases involved current or former employees, who were responsible for 148 of the 179 total incidents, or 82.7 percent.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) suffered the bulk of the losses. Of the companies affected, 155 were SMEs, accounting for 86.8 percent of cases, while large companies were involved in 24 cases. The pattern suggests that limited security measures and less favorable working conditions at smaller firms contributed to their vulnerability.

Authorities have also identified illegal brokers facilitating tech leaks.

Last October, police froze 380 million won ($258,000) in assets belonging to a suspect who allegedly ran an unregistered job agency that transferred skilled semiconductor workers in Korea to a Chinese company. The seized assets included real estate, bank accounts and vehicles.

In total, police said they recovered 2.34 billion won in criminal proceeds last year.

“Technology leakage is not just a blow to individual companies — it’s a serious crime that can irreparably damage national economic security,” a police official said. “We will continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]