The Seoul High Court upheld an 18‑month jail term for a former SK Hynix employee who leaked CMOS image sensor manufacturing secrets to a Chinese firm in 2022. The defendant downloaded, printed or photographed classified documents from the company’s internal server and included some details in a resume. He admitted the charges and SK Hynix recovered most of the material. The ruling highlights legal risks for employees who remove and disclose corporate trade secrets.
Ex‑SK Hynix Employee Jailed 18 Months For Leaking CMOS Image Sensor Trade Secrets To Chinese Firm
FILE PHOTO: SK Hynix at the Nasdaq market in New York
The Seoul High Court has upheld an 18‑month prison sentence for a former SK Hynix employee who disclosed classified semiconductor manufacturing information to a Chinese company, Yonhap reported.
The court found that in 2022 the defendant—who had worked at SK Hynix's office in China—downloaded trade‑secret documents from the company's internal server and then printed or photographed the material in violation of corporate security rules.
The leaked material concerned CMOS image sensor technology, used in camera systems for smartphones and laptops and distinct from SK Hynix's primary memory‑chip business.
Yonhap reported that the defendant included some confidential details in a resume submitted to the unnamed Chinese firm. The man admitted the charges and SK Hynix recovered most of the files he had taken.
Legal and Industry Implications
The ruling underscores the legal consequences of removing or copying classified corporate information and passing it to outside parties. CMOS image sensors are a key component in consumer electronics, and the case highlights the sensitivity of non‑memory chip technologies in the global semiconductor supply chain.
The Seoul High Court did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours. (Reporting by Heejin Kim; Editing by Lincoln Fesat.)
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