Patent protection in South Korea

Questions about patents in South Korea

How much does a patent cost in South Korea?

Our estimate is about US$3,160 to take a PCT application to grant in South Korea. That is about US$880 in official fees and US$2,280 in attorney fees. By stage: filing US$937, examination request US$793, office action response US$790 and grant / issuance / publication US$640 (one office action response included). Renewal fees over the patent's life add an estimated US$11,339. These are estimates only, for a standard application (10 claims, 30 pages, a company applicant): the actual cost depends on the law firm and the application. Request a quote from a law firm on this site for an exact price.

What is the PCT national phase deadline for South Korea, and which routes are there?

The PCT national phase for South Korea must be entered within 31 months of the earliest priority date.

In which technologies is South Korea an important patent market?

South Korea's 10 largest fields of technology by patent publications are computer technology (16,815 a year), electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (15,823 a year), medical technology (9,690 a year), transport (8,904 a year), semiconductors (8,887 a year), it methods for management (8,460 a year), measurement (8,271 a year), digital communication (8,209 a year), civil engineering (7,545 a year) and audio-visual technology (7,404 a year). Within its region, it stands out for food chemistry (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), computer technology (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), chemical engineering (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), environmental technology (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), digital communication (#2 in East Asia and Pacific) and electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (#3 in East Asia and Pacific). Publications are growing fastest in computer technology (10% a year), electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (7% a year) and biotechnology (6% a year). About 43,401 PCT applications enter the national phase in South Korea each year.

What does South Korea's economy make and export?

South Korea's GDP is US$1,872.4bn, of which services US$1,071.5bn, industry US$642.8bn (of which manufacturing US$513.5bn) and agriculture US$27.4bn. Spending a year: households US$899.2bn and health care US$162.1bn. South Korea's exports of goods came to US$720.8bn in 2024. Its 10 largest exports were integrated circuits (chips) (US$138.2bn, 19% of its exports, #3 in the world), cars (US$70.7bn, 10% of its exports, #4 in the world), refined petroleum products (US$51.5bn, 7% of its exports, #3 in the world), ships (US$23.9bn, 3% of its exports, #2 in the world), vehicle parts (US$19.2bn, 3% of its exports, #7 in the world), flat panel displays (US$17.4bn, 2% of its exports, #3 in the world), computer parts (US$17.3bn, 2% of its exports, #4 in the world), storage media and smart cards (US$11.3bn, 2% of its exports, #1 in the world), broadcasting and display parts (US$10.4bn, 1% of its exports, #3 in the world) and vaccines, blood products and biologics (US$9.7bn, 1% of its exports, #10 in the world). Where products are made, a patent there can stop infringing copies being made, not only being sold.