▲ Briefing on plans to expand and reorganize the response system for technology leakage and theft
A survey has revealed that 9 out of 10 citizens view the overseas leakage of core technologies, such as semiconductors, as a serious threat and support strengthening related penalties.
According to the Public Perception Survey on Responding to Overseas Leakage of Core Technologies, conducted by the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF) on 1,000 people aged 19 and older nationwide and released on July 19, 92.5 percent of respondents said the negative impact of such leaks on the national economy is severe.
Those who answered very severe (9–10 points) accounted for 62.6 percent, while 29.9 percent said severe (6–8 points), and 7.5 percent responded average or below (0–5 points).
The average score was 8.6 out of 10.
About 91.4 percent of respondents said that South Korea should establish a legal system for economic security, similar to those in the United States and China, to address the issue.
Only 7.8 percent of respondents said the current approach is sufficient.
Regarding the level of punishment for the overseas leakage of core technologies, 90.7 percent of respondents said it should be strengthened, while 5.3 percent favored maintaining the status quo, and 3.2 percent supported easing it.
Separately from imprisonment, 90.6 percent of respondents supported the imposition of punitive economic disadvantages, while 5.0 percent were against it, and 4.4 percent said they were unsure.
Regarding the imposition of economic disadvantages where fines and confiscations exceed the profits gained from the crime, 90.6 percent of respondents were in favor.
Those who opposed it due to concerns over excessive or double punishment accounted for 5.0 percent, and 4.4 percent said they did not know.
When asked about the most concerning damage from the overseas leakage of core technologies, the weakening of national competitiveness due to the narrowing of the technology gap with competing nations was cited most frequently (53.0 percent), followed by threats to national security and supply chain stability (19.5 percent), declining sales due to loss of global market share (16.4 percent), and job losses and tax revenue hits due to the decline of core industries (10.0 percent).
The KEF emphasized that institutional improvements reflecting public perception should follow a comprehensive analysis of domestic and international research results and cases.
The number of detected cases of overseas leakage of domestic core technologies surged from 9 in 2021 to 33 in 2025, and the estimated damage to the national economy since 2020 has reached 23 trillion won.
South Korea has a structure where the impact of overseas leakage of core technologies on overall national competitiveness is significant, as the proportion of high-tech industries is higher than in other major countries.
As of 2024, the proportion of high-tech manufacturing exports to total manufacturing exports in South Korea was 36.3 percent, which is 1.8 times the G7 average of 20.2 percent.
This figure was higher than those of the United Kingdom (29.7 percent), the United States (24.3 percent), and France (23.1 percent).
However, the KEF pointed out that while the legal systems in the United States and China focus on suppressing technology leakage, South Korea's laws are primarily designed for technology protection and promotion, with penalty provisions included within those frameworks.
According to the KEF, the highest sentence ever handed down for the overseas leakage of domestic technology is 6 years and 4 months.
In contrast, the United States sentenced an individual to 20 years in prison for leaking aircraft engine technology, and China handed down a death sentence in a case where an engineer at a scientific research institution sold state secrets to a foreign intelligence agency.
Ha Sang-woo, an executive at the KEF, emphasized, "The majority of the public views the overseas leakage of core technologies not as a simple corporate issue, but as a matter that threatens national competitiveness and economic security," adding, "A response at the level of economic security, such as the introduction of a strong legal system for punishing the overseas leakage of core technologies, is necessary."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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