South Korea's expanded espionage law took effect Sunday, broadening a legal framework that had been built mainly around the threat from North Korea. The revised law can reach espionage tied to any foreign country.
The change matters because South Korea sits at the center of the global semiconductor supply chain. Samsung Electronics↗, SK Hynix↗ and a web of suppliers hold process knowledge, chip designs and manufacturing expertise that are commercially valuable and strategically sensitive.
For technology companies, the practical result is likely to be tighter controls around engineering data, employee movement, research partnerships and access to sensitive systems.
The larger trend is clear: advanced technology is being pulled deeper into national-security law. Export controls govern what can cross a border; espionage statutes increasingly govern who can obtain the knowledge behind it.
South Korea's expanded espionage law took effect Sunday, broadening a framework once centered on North Korea to cover espionage connected to any foreign country.