S Korea's revised espionage law: How it affects countries beyond North Korea

South Korea's expanded espionage law now covers all foreign countries, not just North Korea. This revised Criminal Act carries a minimum three-year prison sentence for espionage offenses. The amendment addresses concerns about technology and industrial espionage involving non-North Korean actors. High-profile technology leak cases, including those involving Chinese firms, preceded this change. South Korea aims to strengthen its ability to prevent leaks of strategic technologies. South Korea implemented its expanded espionage law on Sunday, broadening espionage offences beyond acts involving North Korea to include all foreign countries.South Korea’s National Assembly had passed the revised Criminal Act on February 26. The amendment was promulgated on March 12 and comes into effect on Sunday, after a six-month grace period.The move comes after years of criticism that Seoul’s existing laws were ill-suited to punish technology and industrial espionage involving non-North Korean actors, especially China.The revised act carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison for the offence of conducting espionage for a foreign country or equivalent organisation. Existing provisions for espi...