Reference News Network, December 18 report: According to Reuters, December 17 report, a court ruling shows that a South Korean court has found two contractors involved in the Taiwanese submarine project guilty of leaking torpedo launch system design, and said that this case may bring "diplomatic burden" to Seoul.
The ruling states that on December 17, the Masan Branch of the Changwon District Court sentenced the CEO of one of the South Korean contractors to two and a half years in prison, and two employees of another company to one and a half years in prison.
The report says that the ruling did not disclose the names of the defendants or the names of the companies involved.
The ruling states that the defendants were employed to build torpedo launch tubes and storage facilities for Taiwan's submarine project, and they were accused of leaking highly classified design information to Taiwan.
The court stated that this case could become a "major diplomatic burden" for South Korea.
The report cited the ruling: "This criminal act may pose a significant threat to South Korea's security, as strategic technology was exported without approval from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the export target is Taiwan, which has tense relations with its East Asian neighbors."
The ruling states that the defendants denied any illegal activities and argued that the information they shared with Taiwan did not involve trade secrets or sensitive technology requiring an export license.
According to reports, Taiwan plans to build eight submarines, but the project has been plagued with problems and has repeatedly faced delays.
At the same time, the Taiwan authorities also plan to significantly increase defense spending next year, making it exceed 3% of GDP, in order to "show determination" to the United States.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7585192510490739227/
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