Prosecutors redeem 123.8 bil. won in criminal proceeds over technology leaks
A sign for the prosecution service is seen at the Supreme Prosecutors Office in Seoul’s Seocho District. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho
Prosecutors have retrieved over 100 billion won ($73.1 million) in criminal proceeds related to technology leaks and indicted 73 people on related charges in the past three years, officials said Sunday.
The Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) said the prosecution had booked 226 people on charges of stealing the country's core technologies and redeemed roughly 123.8 billion won in criminal proceeds between September 2022 and this month.
The findings came after the SPO launched an investigation support center for technology leaks in 2022 to better respond to the growing number of such crimes involving the nation's core technology leaks in the semiconductor and secondary battery sectors.
Authorities also pushed to increase the Supreme Court's sentencing guidelines on related charges, effectively prompting the top court to advise raising the punishment for such crimes in March 2024 to a maximum prison sentence of 18 years.
In response to these measures, the proportion of suspects being detained or defendants receiving prison terms for such crimes has increased, officials said.
"Technology leak crimes are serious offenses that pose a threat to national security and cause irreparable damage, which need to be blocked in advance with stern punishment and confiscation of criminal proceeds," an SPO official said.