Police have referred about 30 employees of the battery maker SK Innovation Co. to the prosecution on charges of stealing electric vehicle technology secrets from rival firm LG Energy Solution Ltd., officials said Thursday.

They were among about 100 former LG employees, who moved to SK between 2017 and 2019 and sparked a trade secrets dispute between the two companies. LG claimed SK scouted its employees to gain trade secrets on EV batteries after coming late to the market.

LG took the case to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in April 2019, and the ITC sided with LG, but the battery makers reached a last-minute settlement last year on the condition SK will give 2 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in compensation to LG.

The police investigation continued, however, as an industrial technology outflow case is not a type of offense that is unpunishable over objection, officials said. (Yonhap)