Korea’s Patent Filings Top 260,000 for First Time, Fourth Largest in the World

According to The Financial News, South Korea’s patent filings reached 260,000 last year for the first time ever. It has been 12 years since the country surpassed 200,000 filings in 2013. South Korea is now the fourth country in the world to exceed 260,000 annual patent applications, following Japan (1984), the United States of America (U.S.) (1999), and China (2008).

The Ministry of Intellectual Property announced on the 29th that domestic patent applications totaled 260,797 last year, a 5.9% increase from 246,245 in the previous year. Filings increased across all applicant types. Growth was highest among individuals (up 15.0%), followed by medium-sized companies (up 13.7%), large corporations (up 5.6%), and small businesses (up 4.6%).
By industry, among the top 10 domestic patent fields, information and communication technology (ICT) sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies, recorded 27,033 patent applications. This represents a 21.1% increase from a year earlier. Patent filings in the secondary battery sector also rose 14.4% to 10,624 cases, driven mainly by large companies such as LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On.
This trend is seen as the result of Korean companies viewing the AI transformation era as an opportunity and building detailed patent strategies focused on advanced industries such as AI and quantum technologies.

Driven by efforts to secure new overseas markets, patent applications filed by Korean companies with the five major intellectual property offices increased 17.6% year-on-year, from 56,989 to 67,025. Of these, filings in the U.S. totaled 32,976, accounting for the largest share (49.2%) of major overseas filings in the U.S., China, Europe, and Japan. Applications in China reached 16,621, marking the highest growth rate at 72.3%.
In addition, statistics from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Data Center for 2024 show that Korean companies’ overseas patent filings in Vietnam (1,395 cases, up 31.4%), India (3,826 cases, up 14.4%), and Taiwan (3,365 cases, up 8.1%) are also steadily increasing. This indicates that South Korea’s target countries and regions for patent filings are expanding beyond the traditional focus on the U.S. and China to include Vietnam, India, and Taiwan.
Considering that South Korea’s largest export destinations by export value are China (1st), the U.S. (2nd), Vietnam (3rd), Taiwan (4th), and India (8th), it is assessed that the country’s export markets are broadening in the same direction as its patent filing destinations.
Jung Jae-hwan, Director General for Intellectual Property Information at the Ministry of Intellectual Property, stated, "It is very encouraging that Korean companies are increasing their patent filings in advanced industries such as AI and quantum technologies despite uncertainty in the global economy." He added, "Taking last October’s upgrade of our agency to the Ministry of Intellectual Property as a turning point, we will further strengthen support to help Korean companies secure patents overseas."

kwj5797@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Won-jun Reporter