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[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Paul Lee] Choi, a former Samsung Electronics executive who is on trial for allegedly siphoning off design data for Samsung Electronics' semiconductor plant designated as a national core technology to China, has been released on bail.
According to legal circles on the 15th, the Suwon District Court's Criminal Chamber 14 (Judge Lee Ji-yeon) cited Choi's application for bail on the 10th on charges of violating the Industrial Technology Protection Act.
Choi is suspected of colluding with other employees from Samsung Electronics to hand over process technology to China and build Samsung Electronics' semiconductor plant and a Panbagi plant. To that end, Choi was found to have built a semiconductor manufacturer and a joint venture in Singapore since 2015 and recruited some 200 key domestic semiconductor workers.
Choi is a semiconductor expert who worked for Samsung Electronics for 18 years and retired as a managing director and served as vice president of Hynix (formerly SK Hynix).
Samsung Electronics' damage from Choi's technology leak is estimated to be at least hundreds of billions to trillions of won. According to the prosecution, BED technology that manages semiconductor clean rooms is 12.4 billion won, process placement is 136 billion won, and drawing is 142.8 billion won.
Choi and others are claiming innocence in the trial. The prosecution said that the specific victim company is not Samsung Electronics, and the technology in question is not a national core technology.
Aside from the case, the police have reportedly detected the circumstances of Choi's additional crimes and are conducting a separate investigation.
AlphaBIZ 폴 리(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
