South Korea and ASEAN discuss cooperation on IP commercialization and AI copyright

[Financial News] South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) discussed the commercialization of intellectual property (IP), its use in finance and investment, and copyright issues arising from generative artificial intelligence (AI). Key agenda items included overseas expansion by content industries such as webtoons, IP valuation, and national systems and cooperation measures concerning the use of copyrighted works in AI training.
The Federation of Intellectual Property Organizations said it held the 2026 Korea-ASEAN Intellectual Property Cooperation Conference on the 11th at Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery in Mapo District, Seoul, hosted by the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property. Held for the fourth time this year, the event drew about 220 attendees, including officials from major ASEAN countries and intellectual property experts from Korea and abroad.
The conference was held under the theme “Growth and Shared Prosperity for Korea and ASEAN Through a Major Intellectual Property Transformation in the Age of AI.” Experts discussed industry conditions and institutional challenges in each country across four fields: webtoons, IP monetization and commercialization, cultural and artistic entrepreneurship, and AI.
At the IP commercialization session, Lee Seok-hoon, a senior research fellow at the Korea Capital Market Institute, presented on the role of IP disclosure in enhancing corporate value and strategies for advancing IP finance. Christine Ng, an intellectual property valuation expert from Malaysia, shared local examples of IP valuation and its links to finance. Experts from the Philippines and other countries then discussed institutional and market infrastructure development to assess the economic value of intellectual property and use it in finance and investment.
At the AI session, the use of copyrighted works in training generative AI and compensation for creators were discussed as key issues. Experts from Singapore, Vietnam and other countries shared examples of intellectual property systems related to AI and the use of legal and patent attorney services, and discussed differences in national regulations and areas for cooperation.
The webtoon session covered overseas expansion using IP and ways to grow content businesses, while the cultural and arts session addressed examples of entrepreneurship and commercialization using traditional cultural assets. In particular, an expert from Timor-Leste, which joined ASEAN as its 11th member in October last year, took part in the event for the first time this year and presented on the challenges of building the country’s intellectual property system.
Kye Seung-gyun, a private-sector member and chair of the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property, said, “As we enter an era of sweeping AI-driven change, I hope the experts’ views presented at this conference will be linked to policies of the relevant ministries and lead to an institutional foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation between Korea and ASEAN.”
[email protected] Kim Mi-hee Reporter