Kim Yong-sun, Commissioner of the Intellectual Property Office, said on the 11th that he would "develop public ideas into intellectual property and build a ladder for technology-driven growth and economic innovation." Kim is the first head appointed after the Korean Intellectual Property Office was elevated from the patent office in October last year.
Kim announced five policy directions at a press conference held at the Government Complex Daejeon, marking his 100th day in office. "Since taking office, I have listened to voices in the field through more than 112 meetings, policy site visits, and company visits," Kim said. "I have been considering and preparing practical, results-oriented policies that the public can feel."
The Intellectual Property Office plans to focus on startups and growth, regional balance, examination and trials, fairness and coexistence, and economic security and international cooperation. It will provide three solutions—IP rights registration, product commercialization, and investment funding—to help young people and prospective entrepreneurs start or commercialize businesses based on their ideas and technologies.
Patent and trademark examination periods, long cited as pain points by businesses, will also be shortened. As of last year, the patent examination waiting period was 14.7 months, and the trademark examination waiting period was 11.9 months. The office plans to reduce these to 10 months and 6 months, respectively, by 2029. An ultra-fast examination system will be implemented this month for AI and bio startups, enabling them to receive results within one month. To achieve this, the office aims to double its current examination staff of approximately 1,100 during the Lee Jae-myung administration.
A dedicated department will be established and investigative personnel expanded to prevent core corporate technologies from leaking overseas. As K-beauty and K-food gain global popularity, leading to counterfeit distribution and brand disputes, a cooperative framework will be built for joint corporate and government response.
The office will also pursue the "Regional Representative K-Brand 100 Project," which combines local heritage and specialty products with intellectual property to create jobs and income for residents. Examples include Jinan red ginseng and Andong salted mackerel, which carry regional characteristics and stories.
The Intellectual Property Office is also running "Everyone's Idea," a project to connect public ideas to business and policy. The competition offers total prize money of 780 million won, with up to 100 million won awarded to the first-place winner. "We will establish policies for creating, protecting, and utilizing intellectual property with all citizens as policy customers, and create an ecosystem where these policies form a virtuous cycle," Kim said.