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KIPO and National Intelligence Service (NIS) held a response strategy meeting to quantum-resistant cryptography patents.(News Letter No. 560) |
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KH |
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2025-09-16 |
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1. KIPO and National Intelligence Service (NIS) held a response strategy meeting to quantum-resistant cryptography patents.
- The meeting was held under the theme of establishing the foundation of commercialization of the quantum-resistant cryptographic technology through patent bigdata analysis and strengthening the intellectual property competitiveness of Korean industry.
KIPO and NIS held a response strategy meeting to quantum-resistant cryptography patents by inviting the relevant organizations including CryptoLab, Samsung SDS, etc. participating in the development of Korean Post-Quantum Cryptography (KpqC).
While the safety of the previous cryptography technology is threated with the development of quantum computing technology, the quantum-resistant cryptography has been emerging as a strategic defense technology to respond to it. South Korea is also preparing proactively by securing 4 types of the KpqC algorithms through the quantum-resistant cryptography national contest (November 2021~January 2025) and publishing a comprehensive plan for the transition to nationwide quantum-resistant cryptography.
- Quantum-resistant cryptography is a cryptographic technology based on mathematical problems which are difficult to decipher even with quantum computers and it is called Post-Quantum Cryptograph (PQC) in the sense that is safe even in the era of quantum computers.
- Comprehensive plan for the transition to nationwide quantum-resistant cryptography is a comprehensive plan which was jointly prepared by NIS and other relevant ministries and agencies to strengthen the safety and competitiveness of the national information security system through the development of original technologies including securing KpqC (~2024), the development of standardization, practical application and conversion technologies (~2030) and the transformation of the cryptosystem (~2035), etc.
- Korea post-quantum cryptography (KpqC): NIS secured 4 types of KpqC algorithms in the quantum-resistant cryptography national contest which was promoted by collaborating with the PQC Research Group and the National Security Research Institute since 2021.
4 types of cryptographic algorithms (alphabetical) Development organization Password function
AlMer Samsung SDS, KAIST, and Sungshin Women's University Electronic signatures
HAETAE Crypto Lab, and Seoul National University
NTRU+ Sangmyung University, and Korea University Public Key Password and Key Setting
SMAUG-T Crypto Lab, Seoul National University, and Counterintelligence Agency
This meeting was arranged to promote the standardization and practical application of KpqC and to support the establishment of the commercialization foundation, such as the technology of converting the relevant cryptographic system.
Cooperating with NIS, KIPO will diagnose the quantum-resistant cryptography technology and industrial trends by using patent bigdata analysis and support the establishment of responsive strategies from Korean industries. Additionally, in line with the new government’s moto, ‘flexible and practical government’, KIPO in collaboration with Korean industries plans to seek ways to protect South Korea’s next generation cryptography technology and to strengthen South Korea’s technological sovereignty so that the technologies related to the source, application and conversion of KpqC will be reborn as key patents to demonstrate practical values and global competitiveness in actual industrial sites.
2. The number of patent applications for advanced technology-armed medical devices increased by 42% in 10 years.
- The cutting-edge technologies, such as AI, wearable technology, etc., are used to increase performance and convenience.
- Biometric monitoring devices ranked 1st with 14.6%, medical information devices had the highest growth rate in the number of the relevant applications.
- The proportion of the relevant applications filed by small and medium companies and individuals was 51.4%, and Samsung Electronics ranked 1st in filing the most applications.
While medical device exports are expected to reach about $6.25 billion (about 8.65 trillion Korea Won) this year (source: Korea Health Industry Promotion Agency), the number of patents in the medical device field, such as the technology increasing performance and convenience by utilizing the cutting-edge technologies, such as AI, wearable technology, etc., has significantly increased in 10 years since 2015.
KIPO analyzed the trends of patent applications in the medical device field over the last 10 years (2015~2024). As a result, the number of the relevant applications increased by about 42% in 10 years, from 9,336 applications in 2015 to 13,282 in 2024. This is about 3.5 times higher than the increase of about 12% in the number of the patent applications in the entire technology field during the same period.
The type of medical devices which filed the most patent applications over the last 10 years was biometric devices (for examples, wearable electronic devices equipped with biosensors to measure various bio-signals, such as heart rate, blood pressure, etc.), with a total of 17,514 applications (14.6%), followed by surgical treatment devices (14.0%), medical information devices (13.7%), and medical supplies (11.9%). The number of the applications filed in these four fields was more than half (54.2%) of the number of the applications filed in all of the medical device fields.
By an increase rate in the number of the relevant applications, the field with the highest increase rate was medical information devices with an annual average increase of 21.9%. Specifically, the increase rate of the patent applications for the medical information devices related to the remote medical service (for example, AI-based non-face-to-face care system, etc.) was 92.6%, driving the increase in applications. The highest increase rate of medical information devices was followed by anesthesia and respiratory devices (5.6%) and biometric devices (5.5%), etc.
By the type of an applicant, small and medium companies filed 37,925 applications (31.7%), individuals filed 23,554 (19.7%) and foreign corporations filed 23,375 (19.6%) and universities and research institutes filed 22,806 (19.1%), showing that the small and medium companies and individuals accounting for 51.4% of the total of the relevant applications are leading innovation in the medical device field.
The applicant filing the most relevant applications was Samsung Electronics, followed by Yonsei University, Korea University, and Osstem Implant Co., Ltd. In terms of major technology types, Samsung Electronics ranked 1st in the fields of biometric measurement devices and rehabilitation aids, Yonsei University in vitro diagnostic devices and medical information devices, Samsung Medicine Co., Ltd. in imaging diagnostic devices, Osstem Implant Co., Ltd. in dental devices, and Body Friend Co., Ltd. in treatment aids.
3. Unreasonable matters in systems are rapidly improved by reflecting opinions from the open design examination site.
- Trademarks and designs change immediately if people want.
- Immediate revision of administrative rules, such as notification and examination standards, etc., increase the speed of improvement in public sentiment.
According to KIPO, it has collected opinions on the inconvenience which companies and the public experienced in the process of operating the trademark and design systems and the unreasonable matters in the systems, through on-site communication, such as a meeting for ‘open trademark and design examination’ (July 2025). KIPO plans to promptly improve the matters which can be resolved immediately without revising the laws, through revisions in administrative rules, such as notices and examination standards, etc.
Since July, KIPO has directly listened to on-site opinions by industry and routinely held a meeting for ‘open trademark and design examination’ to reflect the on-site opinions in improving the systems. This meeting is held every other month with the participation of company practitioners and examiners from a total of 9 industrial divisions. This meeting aims to discover unreasonable standards or issues to be improved in the trademark and design examination process by the end of the year and to rapidly improve them through administrative rules, such as notices or examination standards, etc., without revising the laws or regulations.
Purpose Establishment of system to collect opinions from the industry according to industry-specific expertise and trend changes
Operation period/number of times ’25.7. ∼ ’25.12. / bimonthly in 9 divisions (30 times in total)
Formation of participants Staff in charge of IP in company filing multiple applications in each division (5~10 people) + examiner (10 people) + director
Operation method Appointment of ‘open examination panel’ of participating company, and meeting once every other month
Major discussion points -Individual examination matters, such as determination of discrimination and product similarity, etc.
-trademark and design trends, industrial trends, system improvements, other complaints, etc.
Notably, some of improvement proposals submitted through the first and second meeting were understood to be ready for immediate action, without revising laws, and the reorganization of the related regulations will be quickly promoted.
4. Sensibility made of Korea words and fonts is protected with intellectual properties.
- KIPO contested a Korean excellent trademark and a beautiful Hangul font design.
KIPO held the 10th contest to select an excellent trademark in Korean language and the 1st contest of a beautiful Hangul font design and started accepting applications for the contests from August 4, 2025.
The contest to select an excellent trademark in Korean language has been held annually since 2016 to encourage the filing of an application and use of a pure Korean language trademark and it is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language. Notably, this year, celebrating the 579th anniversary of Hangul Day, the 1st contest of a beautiful Hangul font design was held together, to more deeply reflect on the cultural and property values of the Korean language and Hangul.
Applications for the contest were received from August 4~29, 2025. Anyone can apply or recommend his/her own or someone else’s registered trademark and design by accessing the QR code.
The trademark or design eligible for application and recommendation for the contests are Korean trademark or font design whose registration is valid as of August 2025. A trademark that imitates other people’s trademarks, a trademark owned by people suspected of malicious trademark preemption, a trademark involved in dispute, such as trial or lawsuit, a trademark which is not currently used, and a trademark which has already won in similar contests will be excluded.
After an expert on Korean language recommended by the National Institute of the Korean Language, an expert in the brand industry, a font design expert evaluate the received trademarks and designs in terms of the Korean language’s uniqueness and brand value and the Hangul font’s formality, aesthetics and originality, etc., the beautiful trademark (1 piece for award from the minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), the fine trademark (1 piece for award from the commissioner of KIPO), the sweet trademark (5 pieces for award from the president of the National Institute of Korean Language), the beautiful Hangul design (1 piece for award from the commissioner of KIPO) and the best Hangul design (1 piece for award from the commissioner of KIPO) will be selected and awarded around Hangeul Day in October, 2025.
5. The close cooperation among KIPO, the Prosecutor’s Office and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the cooperation of the affected companies block overseas leakages.
- KIPO prevents astronomical damage by preventing the overseas leakage of a national advanced strategic technology of secondary batteries.
- A total of 3 people, including the arrest of one former team leader of a major Korean secondary battery company, were indicted.
- KIPO (technology police) arrested a former employee of a big company who attempted to leak the secondary battery technology overseas.
On August 28, 2025, the KIPO’s technology design special judicial police (hereinafter, referred to as ‘technology police’) and the patent crime investigation department of the Daejeon District Prosecutor’s Office (Chief prosecutor: Dae-hwan PARK) announced that they had indicted a total of 3 people, including “A” (age: 48, arrested), a former team leader of a major Korean secondary battery company, for stealing, without permission, data related to secondary batteries from a victim company including national advanced strategic technology, on charges of violating the ‘Act of special measures to strengthen and protect the competitiveness of national advanced strategic industry’ and the ‘Act of the prevention of unfair competition and protection of trade secrets.’
According to the technology police, “A” was considering changing the job by meeting a representative of a company located abroad through an agent “C” (age: 35, non-detention) around October 2023 and decided to leave the company after being dismissed from the team leader position in November 2023. From November 2023 to February 2024 when “A” quit the job, he took out the victim company’s data, without permission, by accessing and filming the victim company’s virtual PC with a work laptop at home, etc. Additionally, “A” is suspected of illegally acquiring data through “B” (age: 45, non-detention, quit the job in December 2024) who was working in the victim company around October 2024.
The data stolen by “A” included: ▶ cell design information for major secondary battery items (currently in contracts ranging from trillions to tens of trillions of Korea won), ▶ mid- to long-term comprehensive strategy data, such as product and technology development, manufacturing and cost roadmap, and ▶ information on the development of key materials, such as anode materials, (evaluation, unit price, partner operation plan, etc.), and there were about 3,000 photo files, some of which corresponded to national advanced strategic technologies and national core technologies.
If, among the data stolen by “A”, the data containing key information, such as national advanced strategic technology would have been leaked overseas, it would be difficult to predict the scale of the damages, considering the scale of contracts worth tens of trillions of Korea Won for the affected companies, the huge research and development (R&D) costs, and the impact on the domestic secondary battery industry ecosystem.
In November 2024, the technology police started an investigation immediately after receiving information on allegations of “A” from the industrial confidential protection center of NIS, and in December 2024, they secured about 3,000 photo files and the relevant evidence by executing a search warrant on the residence of “A”. After that, through the analysis of evidence, the technology police found the facts that “A” met with “B”, an employee of the victim company, and illegally acquired additional data and that “A” contacted an overseas company through “C”. In this regard, the technology police additionally put “B” and “C” on the books and conducted an execution of a search warrant and an investigation of “B”.
The technology police cooperated with the patent crime investigation department of the Daejeon District Prosecutor’s Office throughout the entire investigation. During the cooperation process, the technology police also confirmed from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) that the national advanced strategic technology was included in the data of the victim company, which were stolen by “A” and they transferred “A” to an arrest investigation.
In most cases of technology leakages, the victim companies often reduced the cases due to concerns about damages to the companies’ images, etc. However, the victim company in this case responded to the security violation incident by requesting an investigation as a basic principle, and therefore the investigation could be early concluded with active cooperation.
This case is significant in the point of preventing the overseas leakage of South Korea’s secondary battery core technology including the national advanced strategic technology, through the accurate intelligence of NIS, the close cooperation between KIPO with technological expertise and the Prosecutor’s Office with investigative and legal expertise, and the rapid confirmation by MOTIE.
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Korean Industrial Insight No. 16 of AI, Semiconductors, Batteries, Electric vehicles, and Bio
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