Semiconductor expert Jin-seok Choi, who was previously accused of leaking Samsung Electronics' 20nm DRAM manufacturing technology data to China and attempting to establish a "cloning factory" in Chengdu, has been detained again by court orders.
According to a report by Chosun Biz, the Seoul Central District Court recently issued arrest warrants for Choi and former Samsung chief researcher Mr. Oh after reviewing their alleged violation of laws related to the prevention of unfair competition and protection of trade secrets. The court cited concerns about the suspects fleeing as the reason for issuing the warrants.
It is reported that Choi and others leaked over 600 critical pieces of information about the manufacturing process, such as the temperature and pressure required for Samsung's 20nm DRAM production, to Chengdu's CHJS Tech.
Jin-seok Choi joined Samsung in 1984 and worked there for 18 years, ranking as high as a director in the memory division. In 2001, he moved to SK Hynix's predecessor, Hynix Semiconductor, where he successfully helped revitalize the nearly bankrupt company by renovating its DRAM process technology. In 2010, he transitioned to the solar energy industry, joining the likes of Hanwha Q CELLS and STX Solar.
In 2015, Choi founded a semiconductor company in Singapore, actively recruiting semiconductor talent from Samsung and SK Hynix. Aiming to build a semiconductor plant in China, he established CHJS (Beijing) in 2019.
In April 2020, Choi secured KRW460 billion (approx. US$340 million) in investment from the Chengdu government to establish an R&D center in Chengdu. However, in June 2023, he was detained on suspicion of stealing Samsung's semiconductor plant blueprints to create a 20nm DRAM cloning factory. He was released in November 2023.
Due to new evidence, Choi has been detained once again, bringing South Korea's issue of semiconductor technology leaks back into the spotlight. There are growing concerns about the technological progress that CHJS currently holds and the potential risks of more advanced technology being leaked in the future.
