Photo : KBS
A South Korean resident of China has been detained for nearly a year on suspicion of violating the country’s anti-espionage law.
KBS learned Tuesday that Chinese authorities apprehended the man at his residence in December.
The man, who is in his 50s and lives in Anhui Province in eastern China, was formally detained in May by the Chinese prosecution.
Since moving to China in 2016, he worked for ChangXin Memory Technologies, China’s largest memory semiconductor manufacturer.
Local security authorities say he obtained information about semiconductors while working for the Chinese company and leaked it to South Korea.
This is the first time a South Korean national has been detained on suspicion of violating the anti-espionage law since China expanded the scope of the legislation in July 2023.
An official with Seoul’s foreign ministry said the ministry has been providing consular services to the man since it became aware of the case.