"Not a trade secret" argument rejected

The defendant, a man in his 50s, faced charges of leaking core component technology used in semiconductor production. His central defense was that the leaked material was not an "official trade secret" and therefore could not form the basis of liability.

The court did not accept this position. The information in question was judged to meet the conditions of a protected trade secret, meaning the leak could be treated as unlawful disclosure of core industrial technology.

Protection of core technology upheld

The outcome reinforces that semiconductor core component technologies held by Korean companies qualify for legal protection, even when defendants argue the materials lacked secrecy or commercial value. Similar cases involving semiconductor and display technology leaks have drawn heightened attention from authorities including the National Intelligence Service, reflecting the strategic importance of such know-how.

The case shows that workers leaving semiconductor-related firms remain exposed to criminal liability when they take or transmit confidential process and component data, regardless of claims that the information was not formally designated as secret.

The claim that the "trade secret" defense failed in the technology leak case is True.