Samsung Electronics fears impact of DRAM technology leak in South Korea

Three people, including the head of the development department at a Chinese semiconductor company, who illegally used South Korea's core national technology to develop DRAM in China have been arrested and indicted in South Korea.
The Information Technology Crimes Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced on the 1st that Samsung Electronics' national core technology, 18 nanometer-class D
The Chinese semiconductor manufacturer Changxin Chunchuan Technology Co., Ltd. (CXMT) announced that it had arrested and indicted three people, including the development manager, on suspicion of illegally leaking RAM processes to China.
The suspect who was arrested and indicted was Yang, a former executive at Samsung Electronics and head of the second development department at CXMT.
The company is China's first DRAM semiconductor manufacturer, established with an investment of 2.6 trillion won (approximately 272.6 billion yen) by the Chinese local government.
In January last year, the police arrested and indicted a former Samsung Electronics department manager and head of CXMT's first development department, and in May this year, a former researcher and employee of the company was also arrested and indicted on similar charges.
According to the prosecution's investigation, immediately after its establishment, CXMT scouted two former members of Samsung Electronics, aiming to secure core national technology and poach key personnel.
It was discovered that the head of CXMT's first development department and others had illegally obtained information on the DRAM process, a core national technology, through a former employee of Samsung Electronics.
The technology they introduced was the latest 10-nanometer DRAM process technology, which Samsung Electronics developed for the first time in the world with an investment of 1.6 trillion won (approximately 167.7 billion yen).
The three indicted this time are accused of receiving the leaked documents, disassembling Samsung Electronics products to verify their technical content, and repeating manufacturing tests.
In 2023, CXMT became the first in China and the fourth in the world to successfully mass-produce 18-nanometer DRAM.
The three former Samsung Electronics executives who were arrested and indicted are said to have received a total of 1 million yen from CXMT over a period of four to six years.
He was promised a salary of 500 million to 3 billion won (approximately 140 million to 280 million yen), three to five times the annual salary he was making at Samsung Electronics.
Prosecutors have pointed out that the damage suffered by Samsung Electronics from this case will be enormous, with the estimated loss of sales last year alone amounting to 5 trillion won.
(approximately 524.4 billion yen), and future damage is expected to reach tens of trillions of won (several trillions of yen), describing it as "the worst technology leak incident in history."