The view that China-based CXMT's DRAM-related prowess is largely built on stolen IP from Samsung and other major memory players has gained a hefty patina of authenticity after a spate of troubling incidents of corporate espionage.

The latest bout of comeuppance has now resulted in a for a former Samsung employee, who was recently found guilty of leaking core DRAM tech to CXMT for $2 million.

Today, a court in Seoul has sentenced Jeon Mo, a former Samsung engineer, to 7 years in prison for violating South Korea's Industrial Technology Protection Act.

The court found Jeon Mo liable for stealing Samsung's core DRAM-related intellectual property and handing it over to China's CXMT. Jeon allegedly received 2.9 billion won ($2 million) for his espionage-related activities from CXMT over a period of 6 years, including 300 million won in contract incentives and 300 million won in stock options.

Back in February 2025, Jeon Mo's accomplice, Kim Mo, who used to work in a managerial position at Samsung Electronics, was also sentenced to seven years in prison for leaking 18nm DRAM technology to CXMT.

More recently, a number of former Samsung executives and employees have been charged for leaking critical technology to China's CXMT. During the course of their investigation, the prosecutors discovered that a single former Samsung employee had "leaked hundreds of steps of process information, corrected and verified the information," leading to China's first successfully mass-produced DRAM in 2023. The investigation further revealed that CXMT used a front company to lure and hire former Samsung employees.

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