A South Korean citizen was arrested in China on espionage charges, China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

“Authorities notified the South Korean embassy in China about the arrest and provided the necessary facilities for the officials to carry out their consular duties,” he said.

This is the first such case involving a South Korean citizen since China’s revised anti-espionage law came into force in July last year.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Monday that a man in his 50s was detained late last year. The report, based on diplomatic sources in Seoul, stated that the suspect lived in Hefei in Anhui province, which became a science and technology center at that time.

The man was said to be a former employee of Samsung Electronics before working for Chinese chipmakers such as ChangXin Memory Technologies, Yonha and Seoul-based Chosun Daily.