South Korea’s Ministry of IP to expand monetisation drive, build ‘tech police’ force, protect K-IP globally

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South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) is moving its focus from just examining and registering intellectual property rights aims to helping the country’s IP owners increase revenue, and protect IP better, both within Korea and internationally. 

In an interview with The Korea Herald, Intellectual Property Minister Kim Yong-sun explained: “The biggest change is that our role no longer ends with granting and protecting rights. We are expanding it to help intellectual property generate revenue through transactions and commercialization.” 

The MOIP was created on October 1, 2025, when the status of the Korean Intellectual Property Office was officially raised to that of a ministry. Kim, the first minister to head the MOIP, said this reflected the government’s commitment to making IP “a pillar of national growth.” 

Kim told the Korea Herald that the initial priority in the organisation’s first six months had been “to strengthen the ministry’s authority to coordinate IP policy across government agencies. Previously fragmented policies are now being connected through cross-government programs.” 

Outlining the MOIP’s priorities for the second half of 2026, Minister Kim said key steps would be: 

• Increasing Korea’s revenue from IP internationally, and reducing the current IP services trade imbalance. 

• Expanding the MOIP’s technology police, Korea’s only investigative unit dedicated exclusively to technology-related crimes. 

• Launching a government-run K-brand certification system to fight counterfeit products internationally. 

Capturing a bigger share of the global IP services market 

In the interview, Kim said the global IP transaction market was estimated at more than $1 trillion. But while “Korea is the world’s fourth-largest patent filer… it continues to run a technology trade deficit of more than $3.8 billion.” 

To correct this imbalance, the minister said, “Korea must do more than generate patents. It must capture a larger share of the global IP transaction market.” 

That starts by educating Korean companies that IP is not just for protection, but also for profit. The article quotes Kim as saying: “Companies need to see intellectual property not simply as a tool for protecting technology, but as a source of economic returns. 

So, in H2 2026, the MOIP will focus on IP monetisation across the whole IP lifecycle. 

It will identify 100 promising technologies developed with government funding and then help secure international patents for them, 50 in H2 2026 and another 50 in H1 2027. 

It also plans to support 20 leading ‘K-IP’ monetisation companies and support their activities to grow Korean IP revenue internationally. 

There is also a commitment to helping IP-rich SMEs raise finance: “For startups and small businesses short on capital, the ministry will strengthen IP financing programs that allow patents to be used to secure loans, guarantees and investment.” 

Further help for IP-rich companies comes will involve subsidizing the cost of patent valuation, and the creation of 136.7 billion won in related funds for IP this year, including a 100 billion won deep-tech joint fund and a 16.7 billion won direct IP investment fund. 

The MOIP will also increase the number of patent examiners and support staff to speed up the patent examination process, particularly in deep tech. 

The IP police 

MOIP is also reorganising and expanding its technology police unit, Korea’s only investigative unit dedicated exclusively to technology-related crimes. 

The ministry has created a special judicial police division dedicated to technology leaks and assigned more technical experts to investigations, and has added a new unit tasked with analysing patent data to detect potential technology leakage risks and develop response strategies.  

Government seal for authentic K-brands 

Kim told the Korea Herald that in his official trips to countries around the world, he “saw sophisticated counterfeit products that were difficult to distinguish from genuine [Korean] goods during visits to countries including the Philippines and Vietnam. Such products threatened not only individual companies but also confidence in Korean brands and the country’s broader image, he said.” 

According to a 2024 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Illicit Trade and the Korean Economy, counterfeit K-brand products are estimated to be worth about 11 trillion won, equivalent to 1.5% of Korea’s total exports,  

The OECD report found:  

“Among goods infringing Korean IPRs, those deriving from information and communication technology (ICT) are the most targeted. Other Korean products commonly faked include fashion items, automotive spare parts, toys and games, and cosmetics.” 

To address this, the MOIP will be launching a government-run K-brand certification system in H2 2026. An official certification mark identifying authentic Korean products will be designed and then registered in 70 countries around the world that are either major importers of Korean goods or have high levels of counterfeit distribution. 

AI-based authentication technology will allow overseas consumers to verify whether a product is genuine.