The former CEO of Toptec, a South Korean company that manufactures smartphone components, has been sentenced to three years in prison for leaking Samsung Galaxy Edge Panel technology to China.
The CEO, identified as Kim Jong-hoon, was found guilty of violating the country’s trade secrets law by providing the technology to a Chinese company without Samsung’s permission. The Edge Panel is a feature that allows users to access shortcuts and widgets on the side of their Galaxy smartphones.
The court found that Kim had acted with “malice” and had “caused significant damage” to Samsung. The company said that the leak had “jeopardized” its competitive advantage and had led to the loss of “valuable trade secrets.”
The case highlights the growing concern about intellectual property theft in South Korea. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile cases involving the theft of technology from South Korean companies by Chinese rivals.
The government has taken steps to crack down on such theft, but it remains a major challenge for businesses in the country.
Source – Hankyung
