A jailed South Korean chip executive denies stealing Samsung data for China factory in a letter

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Samsung Electronics. In a handwritten letter to Reuters, his first comments to media since he was detained on May 25, Choi Jinseog elaborated on his defence plan and said the allegations against him regarding the Xian plant were not substantiated. Prosecutors earlier this month indicted the former Samsung executive for illegally obtaining secret information to build a semiconductor plant only 1.5 km (1 mile) from a Samsung factory in Xian, China.

Choi is in custody at a detention centre in Suwon, a city south of Seoul where Samsung has its headquarters. He previously denied all the charges through his lawyer. In the letter, Choi said the factory was planned for Taiwan's Foxconn, for early test production of DRAM memory chips, while Samsung's plant in Xian was designed to manufacture NAND flash memory chips.

Choi said DRAM process technology is more than 30% different from making NAND flash chips because it is more complicated, and some equipment used in manufacturing both chips is also different. «They use different equipment and the layout of (Samsung's) NAND flash chip equipment is really of no use for us,» Choi said in the letter. Several semiconductor industry experts interviewed by Reuters, who aren't involved in the case, confirmed there are differences in processes and equipment used for NAND and DRAM production, without specifying them precisely.

Samsung declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigations. Neither Foxconn or companies contracted build the Samsung plant were accused of any wrongdoing. Foxconn, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, referred Reuters to earlier comments where it said it was «aware of speculation» around the case but doesn't comment on ongoing investigations.