South Korea said on Monday it would toughen punishment for stealing industrial secrets, following concerns that existing regulation is not strong enough to stop attempts by companies such as Samsung to funnel technologies.

South Korea is getting tough Technology Leak in recent months, as the country seeks to maintain its waning lead in memory chips and displays over competitors.

South Korea’s Punishment Commission, overseen by Korea’s Supreme Court, decided this month to toughen penalties and increase prison terms for leaking South Korean technology, the industry ministry said in a statement on Monday. Details on the new sentencing guidelines are expected early next year.

The industry ministry did not say which countries it was targeting, but analysts said China It is the suspected destination of most South Korean technology leaks.

Although South Korea’s penalties for technology leaks are similar to those of other countries, including five years or more in prison for leaking technology that has a “significant impact on national and economic security”, in practice the requirements are not met. The punishment is reduced due to the difficulty of doing it. , said the Ministry of Industry.

Under previous rules, prosecutors had to prove the suspect’s intent to leak secrets for an action that was punished as a core technology leak. It said that this led to acquittals in 30% of such cases in South Korean courts and suspension of sentences in 54% of cases.

The ministry said rules to prevent technology leaks that were not regulated, such as leaks after a foreign private equity fund bought a South Korean company, would also be included in a revised draft law to be submitted to parliament.

South Korean police said in June that they had arrested 77 people in 35 cases of suspected industrial espionage in a nationwide investigation over the past four months.