Raising protective walls in semiconductors, biotechnology, shipbuilding, etc.
Block overseas outflows and strengthen M&A screening
The government has decided to strengthen the review of overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&As) that may lead to leaks of national core technologies and to manage core technologies more intensively in industries such as semiconductors, bio, and shipbuilding. In addition, the level of punishment for leaks of core national technologies will be increased, including increasing the fines for core technology leaks by more than four times.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it held the Industrial Technology Protection Committee on the 27th to deliberate and decide on the ‘5th Comprehensive Plan on Prevention and Protection of Industrial Technology Leaks (2025-2027)’ containing these contents. An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained, “Under the vision of strengthening economic security through prevention of cutting-edge technology leaks and rapid response, we have established a comprehensive plan with four implementation strategies and 11 detailed tasks.”
First, the government newly designates technologies with a high need for protection as national core technologies. We plan to additionally designate promising technologies with high relevance to national security and economy, such as multilayer ceramic condenser (MLCC) design and manufacturing process technology (battery field) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload production and verification technology (space field), as national core technologies. am.
The M&A review system will be reorganized to prevent the leakage of core technologies, which have recently become more sophisticated. In order to professionally review M&As, a new M&A field will be established in the Industrial Technology Protection Special Committee, and the system will be improved so that the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy can ex officio issue suspension, prohibition, and restoration orders for unapproved and unreported exports and M&As.
We will strengthen the punishment system, investigation, and trial expertise for core technology leaks. The requirements for constituting the crime of leaking overseas will be relaxed from the original purpose to an intentional crime, and the fine for leaking core technology overseas will also be increased from KRW 1.5 billion to KRW 6.5 billion. In addition, blind spots in technology protection are eliminated by establishing a basis for punishment for brokers who introduce, arrange, or entice technology leaks.
Sejong = Reporter So Seol-hee [email protected]
-
- great
- 0dog
-
- I’m sad
- 0dog
-
- I’m angry
- 0dog