South Korea targets technology leaks

South Korea is cracking down on technology leaks, promising tougher measures to prevent the country’s technology secrets from being exposed internationally.

As the technology industry continues to evolve, especially with the rise of AI, technology secrets are more valuable than ever, and many even play a role in national security concerns. Accordingly ReutersSouth Korea is cracking down on leaks that threaten the intellectual property of its technology companies.

“We will prevent the illegal transfer of advanced technologies to increase the global competitiveness of our companies and strengthen technology leadership,” said Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok.

As Reuters further stresses that South Korea has experienced 97 attempts to steal its technology secrets in the last five years, many of which were attempts to steal semiconductor secrets. South Korea has already designated twelve industries as “national strategic technologies.”

While Choi said the South Korean government would introduce tougher penalties for leakers, he did not reveal what those penalties would entail.