Chinese officials confirmed detention of South Korean national for spy-related charges‚ marking first case under counter-espionage rules from mid-2023 (but didnt share persons name or specific details)
The suspect - ex-Samsung Electronics worker who later joined Chinese chip company - was living in tech-hub Hefei when authorities took action. Local news source Yonhap suggests person might have shared semiconductor info with South Korean officials; this happened as major chip firms like ChangXin Memory Technologies operate in that area
The case comes during high-stakes period for chip industry: since about 4 years ago US blocked high-end semiconductor exports to China which led Beijing to pour billions into domestic production. At same time South Korea stepped-up its fight against tech-theft making companies extra careful about their operations
Related to industry tensions Choi Jinseog - another former Samsung leader faces new problems. Last month he got detained over chip-making tech transfer claims; hes already been in court since last summer denying any wrong-doing in separate case
The situation might make South Korean companies think twice about their China plans (especially after Japanese workers started leaving when their colleague from Astellas Pharma got similar charges). Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian just said: they followed law and told Korean embassy about arrest