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The South Korean ‘master’ of chips accused of sharing secrets with China
He denies stealing Samsung technology, but the case underscores how the country is torn between geopolitical rivals
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Choi Jin-seok oversaw the certification of what was then the latest generation of memory chips ahead of Samsung Electronics.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Christian Davies, Song Jung-a and Eleanor Olcott
In 2006, a South Korean engineer called Choi Jin-seok achieved a feat that earned him the nickname “master of semiconductor yield”.
Serving at the time as the chip manufacturing head at semiconductor company Hynix, Choi oversaw the certification of what was then the latest generation of memory chips ahead of Samsung Electronics, its wealthier and more celebrated South Korean rival.
