SACHEON: South Korean (South Korean) police conducted a search at the head office of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in the city of Sacheon, Friday (15 March) regarding the case of two Indonesian citizens who were accused of leaking technology for the joint RI-South Korean fighter jet project.
KAI is national aerospace and defense company “Ginseng”.
Reuters reported that the two unidentified engineers were accused of violating South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Act.
They are said to have stolen technological data related to the KF-21 Boramae, a South Korean-made fighter jet whose 20 percent of the total cost of 1.7 trillion Won was borne by Indonesia.
Indonesia will receive prototypes and technology documents from South Korea, according to an agreement between the two countries, CNN Indonesia reported.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) had arrested and detained the two engineers in January 2024. They were caught trying to retrieve project-related files stored on a USB drive.
The search began on Thursday and continued into the second day, said an official at the Gyeongnam Provincial Police’s security investigation bureau.
A KAI spokesman said the company was “actively cooperating” to provide all necessary information for the police investigation.
The KF-21, developed by KAI, is designed as a cheaper alternative to the US-made F-35, which is South Korea’s mainstay.
Since the first prototype was completed in April 2021, the sixth KF-21 successfully flew last year.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) last month said Indonesia was collecting evidence regarding the allegations.
Indonesia and South Korea will minimize any problems arising from this cooperation as much as possible, said the spokesman.
South Korea and Indonesia resolved a dispute over funding a joint fighter jet project in 2022
The two countries, which celebrate their 51st diplomatic relations this year, are determined to expand defense cooperation.
There are concerns in South Korea about weak regulations to prevent technology leaks from high-tech companies.
The Sentencing Commission, overseen by Korea’s Supreme Court, last year decided to stiffen sentences and extend prison terms for technology leak offenders.
