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SUWON, South Korea, July 12 (Reuters) - The trial of a South Korean chip executive accused of stealing sensitive information developed by Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) began on Wednesday in a case that underscores South Korea's crackdown on industrial espionage. Prosecutors have alleged that Choi Jinseog, a former Samsung Elec executive and a South Korean chip expert, stole sensitive information developed by the world's top memory chipmaker to help his client set up a chip factory in China. The high-profile criminal case against Choi, an award-winning engineer once seen as a star in South Korea's chip industry, highlights Seoul's efforts to crack down on industrial espionage and slow China's progress in chip manufacturing. Prosecutors have also charged five former employees at Choi's chip consultancy firm, Jin Semiconductor, and a former employee at a Samsung contractor. In a letter to Reuters from prison last month, Choi rejected allegations he had sought to build a copycat chip factory in China with information illegally obtained via Samsung's supplier network.

Persons: Choi Jinseog, Choi, Kim Pilsung, Stephen Coates Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Prosecutors, Samsung, Jin Semiconductor, Thomson Locations: SUWON, South Korea, Korean, KS, China, South, Suwon, Seoul

SEOUL, June 30 (Reuters) - A South Korean chip executive imprisoned over industrial espionage charges rejected allegations he had sought to build a copycat chip factory in China with sensitive information developed by Samsung Electronics. Choi is in custody at a detention centre in Suwon, a city south of Seoul where Samsung has its headquarters. Neither Foxconn or companies contracted build the Samsung plant were accused of any wrongdoing. A NAND flash chip is a storage chip that retains data even when a device is turned off, unlike a DRAM chip which loses data when the power is off. "What we were planning to build was a R&D fab and there is no R&D fab at (Samsung's) Xian plant.

Persons: Choi Jinseog, Choi, Taiwan's Foxconn, aren't, Foxconn, Kim Pilsung, XIAN Choi, Roh Hwa, Kim, Heekyong Yang, Josh Ye, Ben Blanchard, Miyoung Kim, Lincoln Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Reuters, Prosecutors, Samsung, Hai Precision Industry Co, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Korean, China, KS, Xian , China, Suwon, Seoul, Xian, Qingdao, South, Hong Kong, Taipei

The announcement did not name Choi and gave only limited details, although some media subsequently identified Choi and his links with Foxconn. The unreleased 18-page indictment, reviewed by Reuters, provides details in the case against Choi, including how he is alleged to have stolen Samsung's trade secrets and details about the planned Foxconn plant. Choi's Singapore-based consultancy Jin Semiconductor won the contract with Foxconn around August 2018, according to the indictment. According to the indictment, the new Foxconn plant had planned capacity of 100,000 wafers per month using 20-nanometre DRAM memory chip technology. However, Foxconn ended the contract just a year later and only paid salaries related to the project, the lawyer said.

Persons: Kim Hong, Choi Jinseog, Taiwan's Foxconn, Choi, Kim Pilsung, Cho Young, sik, Samoo, Choi's, Chung Chan, Kim, Foxconn, Cho, HanmiGlobal, Chung, Lee Jong, Lee, Jin Semiconductor's, Yoon Suk, 1,294.4600, Heekyong Yang, Ben Blanchard, Chen Lin, Josh Ye, Miyoung Kim, Lincoln Organizations: Samsung Electronics, REUTERS, Samsung, South, Prosecutors, Reuters, Jin Semiconductor, Foxconn, Samoo Architects & Engineers, Google, SK Hynix, Samsung's, Sangmyung University, Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, South Korean, Thomson Locations: Suwon, South Korea, SEOUL, China, Choi's Singapore, Xian , China, HanmiGlobal, South, CHINA, United States, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong

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