South Korean appeals court cuts ex-Samsung employee's DRAM leak sentence to five years
In brief
- Appeals court cut Jeon's prison term from seven years to five on October 22, 2026
- Leak involved Samsung's 18-nanometer-class DRAM process technology and a 600-step 'Process Recipe Plan'
- Prosecutors say Jeon received about 2.9 billion won (roughly $2 million) over six years
- At least 10 individuals charged under South Korea's Industrial Technology Protection Act
What Jeon leaked
The former employee, identified as Jeon, worked at Samsung for nearly three decades and joined ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) in 2016, Crypto Briefing reported. The information he leaked concerned Samsung's 18-nanometer-class DRAM process technology.
Why does that matter? DRAM is the working memory used in phones, laptops and servers, and producing it depends on closely guarded manufacturing know-how. It's the know-how that's at stake here.
At the center of the case was a document called the "Process Recipe Plan," which covered about 600 manufacturing steps that Samsung had refined over time (the report describes them as steps refined over time, not a single design). Samsung reportedly spent more than 1 trillion won and five years developing the technology.
Payments and an admission
According to prosecutors, Jeon received about 2.9 billion won (approximately $2 million) over six years, a figure that included stock options. Jeon acknowledged during court proceedings that he was involved in the leak.
He isn't the only person facing charges.
At least 10 individuals were charged under South Korea's Industrial Technology Protection Act in connection with the case, per the report. They've been charged. The five-year term from the appeals court applies to Jeon.
The recruitment backdrop
CXMT allegedly recruited at least 27 former engineers from Samsung and SK Hynix to help advance its technology, according to Crypto Briefing. That's an allegation, and the report frames it that way.
The numbers in the report show the gap between the two sides. Samsung reportedly put more than 1 trillion won into the technology, while the payments prosecutors cite come to roughly 2.9 billion won, which is less than 1% of that development figure.
The court's sentence came down on appeal, not at the first trial, and it's shorter than the original seven years. The rest of the defendants are still described only as charged.
Frequently asked questions
What technology did the former Samsung employee leak?
According to Crypto Briefing, the leaked information concerned Samsung's 18-nanometer-class DRAM process technology. At the center of the case was a document called the "Process Recipe Plan," which covered about 600 manufacturing steps Samsung had refined over time.
How much was Jeon paid, according to prosecutors?
Prosecutors said Jeon received about 2.9 billion won, or approximately $2 million, over six years. That figure included stock options, according to Crypto Briefing's report.
