9 in 10 Koreans back tougher penalties for core technology leaks abroad

Nine out of 10 South Koreans say penalties for the overseas leakage of core technologies should be strengthened.

According to a public awareness survey on responses to overseas core technology leaks released Sunday by the Korea Enterprises Federation, 92.5 percent of respondents said the negative impact of such leaks on the South Korean economy was "serious."

More than half — 62.6 percent — rated the severity as "very serious," giving scores of 9 or 10 out of 10. The average severity score was 8.6 out of 10.

On the question of punishment, 90.7 percent of respondents said penalties should be strengthened, while only 5.3 percent favored maintaining the current level and 3.2 percent supported easing them. Separately, 90.6 percent backed punitive financial penalties on top of prison sentences.

On legal reform, 91.4 percent said South Korea should establish a legal framework addressing economic security — similar to those of the United States and China. Only 7.8 percent said the current approach was sufficient.

The Korea Enterprises Federation said the results suggest "a demand that the current system, which imposes penalties under individual laws designed to protect and foster technology, be supplemented with more effective criminal legislation specifically targeting the overseas leakage of core technologies."

The United States' Economic Espionage Act classifies technology leaks that benefit foreign governments as economic espionage and was enacted primarily to punish such acts as a matter of national security. China's Counter-Espionage Law similarly designates the overseas leakage of technology and information directly tied to national security as espionage, providing for both prevention and punishment.

When asked about the most concerning consequence of core technology leaks, 53 percent of respondents cited a weakening of national competitiveness as rival countries narrow the technology gap. The next most cited concerns were threats to national security and supply chain stability at 19.5 percent, a decline in sales due to falling global market share at 16.4 percent, and job losses and reduced tax revenue from the decline of key industries at 10 percent.

Ha Sang-woo, a director at the Korea Enterprises Federation, said that because a majority of the public views overseas core technology leaks not merely as a corporate issue but as a threat to national competitiveness and economic security, "swift regulatory improvements must follow."

He added that South Korea, as an export-driven economy built on advanced manufacturing, "inevitably faces a greater negative ripple effect than other countries when core technologies are leaked abroad," and called for "an economic security response, such as the introduction of strong criminal legislation against overseas core technology leaks."

The survey was conducted by research firm Mono Research and polled 1,000 people aged 19 and older nationwide over four days from June 15 to June 18. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.10 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.