Reshaping the Landscape of Economic Growth through Intellectual Property! – South Korea’s MOIP
31-Aug-2026
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Source : The South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP)
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Visits : 59
- MOIP’s Policy Briefing Report -
▲ (IP Monetization) Securing overseas patents for outstanding technologies and fostering specialized IP monetization enterprises.
▲ (Protection) Expanding the investigative scope of MOIP’s Tech Police and launching the K-Brand Government Certification System.
▲ (AI Transformation) Accelerating AI Transformation (AX) across all areas of IP administration and reducing patent examination pendency to 14 months.
▲ (Youth & Regions) Securing growth engines for regions by converting local specialty resources and specialized industries into IP and encouraging youth entrepreneurship and regional growth.
DAEJEON - The South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP), led by Minister KIM Yong Sun, presented its key policy priorities at a policy briefing at the State Guest House of Cheong Wa Dae (the official executive office of the President of the Republic of Korea), under the theme “Reshaping the Landscape of Economic Growth through Intellectual Property (IP).” Following Minister Kim’s presentation of MOIP’s work plan for the second half of 2026, participants took part in an open discussion. The main initiatives are as follows, according to the official website of MOIP.
1. Creating an Era Where Intellectual Property Generates Wealth
MOIP will turn outstanding original technologies into valuable IP assets that generate revenue and convert IP and innovative ideas into new future growth engines.
To enable Korean companies to generate revenue from their patents in global markets, MOIP will select 50 outstanding technologies in the second half of this year and support them in securing patents overseas. It will also select 20 leading companies with strong potential for IP monetization and assist their efforts to generate revenue from their IP. In addition, MOIP will establish an IP Monetization and Transaction Fund worth KRW 140 billion this year to catalyze IP commercialization and transactions, while expanding the overall scale of IP finance to KRW 13.3 trillion.
MOIP will also establish an integrated IP management system on a national level. An integrated IP search service covering patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other IP rights will be launched in the second half of this year. Beginning next year, the Ministry will develop a “National IP Database” integrating IP information and public ideas that are currently dispersed across central government ministries, local governments, and public institutions. As for the “Everyone's Idea” project launched this year, 60 outstanding ideas are planned to be selected in October with follow-up support provided for startup creation, product commercialization, and policy integration.
2. Safeguarding Technologies and Intellectual Property
MOIP will establish a one-stop response system against technology-related crimes and strengthen the joint public-private framework for protecting Korean brands (K-brands).
To proactively respond to technology theft and leakage, MOIP has significantly reinforced its Technology and Design Police (Tech Police) by establishing specialized investigative units and drastically expanding its investigative capacity from one division with 27 officers to four divisions with 61 officers. The scope of investigations will also be broadened to cover technology-related crimes more comprehensively, including technology theft involving large enterprises and small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as the overseas leakage of advanced technologies. Furthermore, MOIP will establish a proactive response system to identify technology-leakage risks at an early stage. By strengthening its technical advisory support for other investigative and intelligence agencies, the Ministry aims to serve as a frontline institution in safeguarding Korea’s economic security.
In October, MOIP will launch the “K-Brand Government Certification System” aimed at combating counterfeit Korean products overseas. Korea’s “government certification” trademark, which will help authenticate genuine K-brand products, will be registered in 70 major export countries. The Korean government and enterprises will work as one team to take strong action against counterfeit goods abroad, thereby enhancing the value and credibility of K-brands.
3. Leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transformation Through Intellectual Property
MOIP will accelerate AI Transformation (AX) across the IP sector and provide top-tier examination services to support Korean enterprises secure IP rights more quickly.
To introduce AI throughout all areas of IP administration, MOIP will begin the development of a next-generation IP administrative system. In the second half of the year, it will also pursue amendments to the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act to address emerging forms of unfair competition, including digital replicas*.
* Content generated using AI and digital technology to realistically replicate an individual’s identifying features, such as appearance or voice.
By expanding its examination personnel and fully integrating AI into examination processes, MOIP will strengthen its examination capacity and reduce examination pendency to 14 months for patents and 11.2 months for trademarks by the end of the year. In particular, the Ministry will expand the scope of its super-accelerated examination track to areas of national importance, including young entrepreneurs and Korea’s “Three Mega Projects,” swiftly delivering examination results to applicants within one month.
4. Opening a New Era of Regional Intellectual Property
MOIP will transform local specialty resources and specialized regional industries into IP assets and use them to support youth entrepreneurship and regional growth.
To turn regionally distinctive products into drivers of local economic revitalization, MOIP will select 10 such local specialty resources on a pilot basis this year to provide support for securing trademark rights and developing product designs. Beginning next year, the Ministry will expand the initiative nationwide to foster representative regional brands. MOIP will also select priority areas for each region in the second half of this year to encourage young people to launch businesses based on IP derived from specialized regional industries. Comprehensive support will be provided, ranging from IP-based commercialization strategies to product development.
To narrow the regional disparities in IP infrastructure, which is currently heavily concentrated in the capital region, MOIP will establish new three regional Comprehensive IP Support Centers this yea, including in the southeastern and Honam regions. These centers will provide integrated services covering IP creation, utilization, and protection. Moreover, the Ministry will further expand education programs for next-generation gifted entrepreneurs, nurturing multidisciplinary professionals in provincial regions with both IP expertise and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Minister Kim stated, “While Korea ranks fourth in the world in the number of patent applications filed, there is need to strengthen our capacity to generate revenue utilizing those patents. Moving forward, we will focus our policy capabilities on building an innovation ecosystem in which the value of IP can be fully realized in the marketplace, ensuring that IP can become a reliable growth asset for citizens and enterprises, as well as a core engine for a major leap forward for Korea’s economy.”