Former Samsung Display employee jailed for six years for selling stolen OLED technology to China

In South Korea, the Suwon District Court sentenced a former Samsung Display employee to six years in prison for transferring OLED technology to China, the development cost of which is estimated at 340 billion won (about $245 million), writes KoreaTechToday. An ex-Samsung employee was found guilty of violating the South Korean Law on the Prevention of Unfair Competition and Protection of Trade Secrets.

Image Source: Samsung Display

The convict worked for Samsung Display for more than 10 years as an OLED technology expert, after which he founded display companies in South Korea and China. He illegally used Samsung’s OLED display technology at his South Korean firm and tried to sell it to Chinese companies through his operation in China.

It is reported that the attacker turned to his former subordinates at Samsung for help, who provided him with trade secret information between 2018 and 2020 about the “ELA (Excimer Laser Annealing) OLED Equipment Inversion Optical System” and “Inkjet Inkjet Equipment.” OCR printing” to be provided to Chinese companies. The attacker’s accomplices, who were charged in August 2020, included three former Samsung Display employees who received prison sentences ranging from one to two years, and two others who received suspended sentences.

The prosecution described the defendant’s actions as a serious breach of trust and a threat to the country’s technological and economic interests. The prosecution emphasized that the technology developed through the investment was misused for personal purposes, which requires strict punishment.

The court ruled that no mitigating circumstances were sufficient to suspend a sentence, pointing out the need to take tough action against offenders to protect valuable technological innovations.