By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
MBC reported Thursday that technology incorporated into popular models of Hyundai Motor's sport utility vehicle (SUV) had been illicitly given to a Chinese competitor.
The report said that two former employees ― currently in detention and being questioned by prosecutors ― leaked the technology for the automatic transmission of the Tucson, Sportage and Santafe to the Chinese company in 2005.
The two received $1.2 million in return for a compact disc offered to the Chinese company, which contain some 270 design drawings of core components of those SUV models.
The estimated cost to the company of the leaked technology was around one billion won, according to MBC.
The country's largest automobile company said it reported the leak to the prosecution after discovering it threes month ago, adding that it had yet to confirm damages from it.
The group said the information was ``out-of-date'' technology but will take necessary legal steps to stop the leaked technology from being used for commercial purposes.