Despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Korea has maintained its status as an active jurisdiction for IP application filings, while Korean companies have continued to actively file IP applications worldwide. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the number of IP applications (including patent, utility model, design and trademark applications) filed at KIPO in 2021 totaled nearly 600,000 (592,615 applications), higher than any previous year, and an increase of 6.3% compared to the previous year. Trademark applications alone increased by 10.8% compared to 2020 (285,821 applications), while patent applications in 2021 were 5% higher than in 2020 (237,998 applications), both the highest growth rates seen for several years.

Small and medium-sized enterprises and startups showed significant growth in IP filings (183,796 application filings), an increase of 11% compared to 2020. The number of IP filings by startups in particular increased by as much as 19.8%. As a result, the percentage of IP filings by small-sized enterprises, startups and individual inventors grew to 65.2% in 2021. This may be due in part to an increase in the number of technology-based startups seeking IP rights in Korea, since they have strong incentives to secure patent rights as initial growth engines. The fact that a majority of IP applications are filed by small companies, startups and individuals suggests that IP and technical development activity in Korea remains strong. Remarkably, the average annual growth rate of IP filings during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) has been 7.7%, far above the 3.6% annual growth rate over the previous 10 years (2010-2019).

KIPO also announced that Korean companies filed 20,678 PCT applications in 2021, which was the 4th highest number of filings from one country for the second consecutive year. The number of PCT applications filed by Korean companies increased by 3.2%, a higher increase than China, the U.S., Japan, or Germany. In addition, Korean companies filed 1,973 international trademark applications (under the Madrid Protocol), which is only the 11th highest number among countries, but which reflects a remarkably high growth rate over the past few years (9% in 2019, 13% in 2020 and 24% in 2021). These statistics indicate that Korean companies are continuing to make increased efforts to secure foreign IP rights in order to protect their innovations, despite the difficult economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.