Prosecutors here said Monday they have arrested and indicted a Japanese former executive of a South Korean semiconductor-related firm for allegedly selling his company's technology secrets to a competitor.
The prosecutors withheld the name of the 67-year-old former employee of Seoul Semiconductor Co., whom they indicted for allegedly breaking laws on fair competition and trade-secret protection.
But Seoul Semiconductor, a South Korean manufacturer of light-emitting diode products, said the man is Jofuku Kanekiyo, originally from Kyoto.
The prosecutors said the man, who was vice president and technology adviser at Seoul Semiconductor, in February received a job offer from a South Korean man at a rival firm. He is believed to have given Seoul Semiconductor's data on patented technology for white LEDs to the rival firm.
The prosecutors also refused to name the South Korean man or the firm. The 45-year-old man at the rival company has been arrested and indicted for the same violations.
The Japanese was promised an annual salary of 80 million won (about 7.41 million yen) and housing by the rival firm. He later began working at the firm as a technological adviser, according to the prosecutors.