A South Korean national has been arrested in China on a spying charge, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the man was arrested "in accordance with the law on suspicion of espionage" and that their lawful rights would be safeguarded, without giving further details.
"The authorities have notified the South Korean embassy in China of the arrest and provided the necessary facilities for the officials to carry out their consular duties," he said.
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It is the first such case involving a South Korean national since China's revised anti-espionage law was introduced in July last year.
South Korean news agency Yonhap had reported on Monday that a man in his 50s was detained late last year. The report, which cited diplomatic sources in Seoul, said the suspect had been living in Hefei, Anhui province - which has become a centre for science and tech - at the time.
The man was said to be a former employee of Samsung Electronics, Yonhap and the Seoul-based Chosun Daily reported.
According to those reports the man is accused of leaking semiconductor-related information to South Korea.
The South Korean national was reportedly living in Hefei, Anhui province when he was detained. Photo: Shutterstock alt=The South Korean national was reportedly living in Hefei, Anhui province when he was detained. Photo: Shutterstock>
A family member of the suspect told South Korean national broadcaster KBS on Tuesday that he was detained in December by Hefei's national security department. The report included an official notice given to the family saying the person was detained on suspicion of espionage on December 18.
The family member said the suspect was detained in a hotel and questioned over a five-month period and that the Ministry of State Security had taken over the case in May. They said the suspect had diabetes and did not have access to his medication.
The South Korean embassy in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment.
It comes as China is ramping up counter-espionage efforts amid a growing rivalry with the West, including a tech war with the US that has seen restrictions on Chinese access to foreign chips and chipmaking equipment. That has prompted Beijing to pour resources into the domestic industry in a bid to become self-reliant in the advanced technology.