http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200603/200603220030.html Mar. 22, 2006 The National Intelligence Service and prosecutors have uncovered a plot to leak cutting-edge mobile phone technology to Kazakhstan. It was the first major case of industrial espionage on behalf of a Central Asian country. So far, China and Taiwan have been the main destinations for purloined core technology. Seoul District Prosecutors Office on Wednesday arrested a Samsung Electronics researcher identified as Lee (34) and an accomplice identified as Chang (also 34) on charges of stealing blueprints for SamsungĄ¯s two latest mobile phones and trying to sell them to a major telecommunications firm in Kazakhstan. Prosecutors say Lee downloaded and printed 15 pages of diagrams related to a mobile phone with built-in antenna and a cutting-edge slim phone in November last year. Lee allegedly showed the drawings to two officials with the Kazakh company who were visiting Korea, and together with Chang proposed a technology partnership. Prosecutors said Chang drafted a contract for technology consulting services and faxed it to the Kazakh firm on Nov. 27, demanding a US$2 million fee. When the company did not respond, Chang on Dec. 16 gave another two pages of diagrams to a Kazakh living in Korea who acted as a middleman and asked him to deliver them to the firm. Lee, who has been working with Samsung Electronics for four years, stole the blueprints to pay off debts of W100 million (US$100,000), the prosecution said. During the investigation, Lee denied the charges, telling prosecutors he was merely exploring new sources of income and work opportunities overseas. Samsung Electronics said the attempt could have caused losses of W1.3 trillion (US$1.3 billion). The NIS and prosecutors say industrial espionage on behalf of overseas firms is on the rise. In high-profile cases, an attempt to leak Hynix Semiconductor technology to China was foiled in July last year and another attempt to leak Samsung Electronics GSM mobile phone technology to China in November. The NIS said technology subject to attempted theft was valued at W13 trillion in 2003, rising to W35 trillion in 2005. _________________________________ InfoSec News v2.0 - Coming Soon! http://www.infosecnews.org
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