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A former employee with
Samsung Electronics has been arrested on charges of industrial
espionage in the attempt to set up on his own in China using
cutting-edge liquid crystal display technology stolen from his former
employer. Besides spiriting away thin-film transistor LCD technology
used to produce computer monitors and cell phone and TV screens, the
man identified as Park is also charged with trying to poach Samsung
research staff. Prosecutors applied for an arrest warrant on Monday against Park
on suspicion of trying to set up a TFT-LCD color filter factory in
Shenzhen, China. They also booked another former Samsung employee
identified as Bae and a current researcher with the firm on related
charges without detention. Park is accused of conspiring with Bae in March 2004 to obtain
nine confidential documents about production of TFT-LCDs and receiving
another document from the researcher in September last year,
prosecutors said. They are also investigating suspicions that Park
tried to lure 10 former and current Samsung R&D staff with the
promise of high salaries. Samsung Electronics spent some W260 billion (US$260 million)
on R&D for the TFT-LCD core technology, and its theft could have
caused it some W5 trillion ($5 billion) in losses over the next five
years, the National Intelligence Service said. The agency says it
prevented losses of W35.5 trillion by uncovering 29 cases of industrial
espionage in 2005 alone. ([email protected] )
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