Effective October 1, 2025, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) has been elevated to full ministry status, and will now be known as the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) under the Prime Minister's Office.

Previously, KIPO operated as an external agency under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, primarily responsible for the examination and registration of patents, trademarks, and designs. However, tasks related to the protection, creation, and utilization of intellectual property rights—including domestic and international dispute resolution—were divided across multiple ministries, such as the Ministry of Science and ICT. This division posed challenges in delivering comprehensive and integrated responses to intellectual property issues.

The elevation of KIPO to MOIP signifies a strategic reorganization, positioning the agency as the central authority for intellectual property policies. A key reform is the establishment of the "Intellectual Property Dispute Response Bureau," upgraded from a division to a bureau-level entity. This bureau is tasked with providing timely and coordinated national responses to intellectual property disputes. Additionally, MOIP will oversee and coordinate various intellectual property-related tasks, which were previously dispersed across different ministries, thereby eliminating protection gaps and enhancing measures for emerging types of intellectual property.

Furthermore, the former Industrial Property Policy Bureau, which was responsible for policies and the creation and utilization of intellectual property rights, has been renamed the "Intellectual Property Policy Bureau." A new Intellectual Property Transaction Division has also been established within the bureau. This initiative aims to secure high-quality intellectual property through R&D, facilitate revenue generation from IP transactions and commercialization, and reinvest earnings into further R&D, thereby establishing a "virtuous cycle ecosystem" for intellectual property.

The transformation of KIPO to MOIP underscores a strategic commitment to bolster national innovation competitiveness by establishing and comprehensively coordinating government-wide intellectual property policies, proactively managing intellectual property disputes, and promoting vigorous intellectual property transactions.