A South Korean chip engineer has been detained in China on spying charges.

According to a report from state-owned South Korean news outlet Yonhap, the Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed the arrest of a man in his 50s living in the Chinese province of Anhui to Korean officials.

The individual is reportedly being supported by the South Korean foreign ministry but remains in detention in China, the FT has separately confirmed. He was charged with crimes under China’s recently bolstered anti-espionage laws which now includes ‘work secrets’ under its scope – information that is not necessarily sensitive to the state but which the government said could cause adverse effects if leaked.

However, some argue that the new laws are vague and could lead to foreign companies and individuals facing charges for what could otherwise be viewed as normal business activity. Under Chinese law, someone found guilty of espionage charges could face life in prison or the death penalty, depending on the perceived severity of the case.

Yonhap reported that the man, who previously worked for Samsung Electronics and Chinese memory chip provider CXMT, is suspected of leaking information relating to semiconductors to South Korea. It is the first time someone from South Korea has been arrested under the expanded law.

Earlier this year, a former senior executive at Samsung Electronics was arrested and indicted in South Korea for allegedly stealing plans for a chip fab in order to set up a competing facility in China.

That case came just months after seven people were sentenced to prison for transferring stolen technologies to a Chinese company, including a former employee of Samsung's wafer cleaning equipment company Semes.

In March 2024, South Korea introduced tougher sentencing laws for anyone convicted of leaking or stealing technology information.