"Prevented Astronomical Damage"... Former Major Company Employee Arrested for Attempting to Leak Secondary Battery Technology Overseas

[Financial News] Three people, including a former major company employee, were caught by the Patent Office's Technical Design Special Judicial Police while attempting to leak secondary battery technology, which includes national advanced strategic technology of astronomical value, to overseas competitors.
 The Patent Office's Technical Design Special Judicial Police and the Daejeon District Prosecutor's Office's Patent Crime Investigation Division announced on the 28th that they indicted a former team leader A (48, detained) of a domestic secondary battery major company and two others for violating the Special Measures Act on Strengthening and Protecting the Competitiveness of National Advanced Strategic Industries, the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, and other charges.
 According to the technical police, A, while considering a job change, met with a representative of an overseas-based company through agent C (35, not detained) around October 2023. After being dismissed from his position as team leader in November of the same year, he decided to resign and until February of the following year, he is accused of illegally exporting the company's data by accessing the victim company's virtual PC from his home using a work laptop. He is also accused of illegally acquiring additional data through B (45, not detained, resigned in December 2024), who was employed at the victim company around October of the previous year.
 The data stolen by A includes △cell design information of major secondary battery items (currently under contracts worth several trillion to tens of trillions of won) △mid- to long-term comprehensive strategy materials such as product and technology development, manufacturing, and cost roadmaps △key material development information such as anode materials (evaluation, unit price, partner operation plans, etc.). The photo files amount to over 3,000, some of which correspond to national advanced strategic technology and national core technology.
 If the data containing core information such as national advanced strategic technology stolen by A had been leaked overseas, the damage scale would have reached astronomical proportions, considering the contract size of tens of trillions of won, the enormous research and development (R&D) costs, and the impact on the domestic secondary battery industry ecosystem, according to the technical police.
 The technical police received intelligence on A from the National Intelligence Service's Industrial Confidentiality Protection Center in November of the previous year and launched an investigation. In December of the same year, they executed a search and seizure warrant at A's residence, securing over 3,000 photo files and related evidence. Through evidence analysis, they discovered that A had illegally acquired additional data by meeting with victim company employee B and contacting an overseas-based company through C, leading to the additional booking of B and C and a focused investigation on B.
 The technical police cooperated with the Daejeon District Prosecutor's Office's Patent Crime Investigation Division throughout the investigation process and confirmed from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy that the data stolen by A included national advanced strategic technology, leading to A's arrest.
 Kim Wan-gi, Commissioner of the Patent Office, said, "Technology leakage can pose a serious threat to national security and the economy," adding, "The Patent Office's technical police have been at the forefront of preventing technology leakage based on technical expertise, and will continue to protect advanced technology in cooperation with related institutions."

kwj5797@fnnews.com Kim Won-jun Reporter