Statistical Country Profiles

Republic of Korea

Population (Million): 49.78 (2011) (Rank = 25)
Gross Domestic Product (Billion US$)(Constant 2005 US$ (PPP)): 1370.98 (2011) (Rank = 12)
IP Filings (Resident + Abroad, Including Regional) and Economy
  • Note
    		•
    Year Patent Trademark Industrial Design GDP (Constant 2005 US$)
    1997 80,926 72,166 27,193 795.83
    1998 63,384 45,962 22,762 741.28
    1999 67,029 75,453 31,551 811.61
    2000 85,797 96,771 33,062 880.48
    2001 88,341 92,451 36,029 915.47
    2002 94,274 98,027 36,273 980.92
    2003 112,851 99,840 36,859 1008.41
    2004 136,661 101,830 42,508 1054.99
    2005 162,882 112,482 55,132 1096.74
    2006 173,646 120,297 65,060 1153.54
    2007 176,408 131,910 65,090 1212.44
    2008 173,670 126,890 67,669 1240.30
    2009 170,392 134,169 68,865 1244.26
    2010 178,644 141,167 69,994 1322.91
    2011 187,454 149,818 70,754 1370.98
    Patent Applications
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 67,359 3 25,325 4 13,567 7
    1998 50,596 4 24,637 6 12,788 8
    1999 55,970 4 24,672 6 11,059 9
    2000 72,831 3 29,179 5 12,966 9
    2001 73,714 3 30,898 6 14,627 8
    2002 76,570 3 29,566 6 17,704 7
    2003 90,313 3 28,338 6 22,538 6
    2004 105,250 3 34,865 5 31,411 5
    2005 122,188 3 38,733 5 40,694 5
    2006 125,476 3 40,713 5 48,170 5
    2007 128,701 4 43,768 5 47,707 5
    2008 127,114 4 43,518 5 46,556 5
    2009 127,316 4 36,207 5 43,076 5
    2010 131,805 4 38,296 5 46,839 4
    2011 138,034 4 40,890 5 49,420 4
    Patent Applications by Top Fields of Technology (1997 - 2011)
  • Note
    		•
    Field of Technology Share
    Semiconductors 10.11
    Audio-visual technology 9.22
    Computer technology 7.55
    Telecommunications 7.35
    Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy 7.28
    Optics 5.42
    Transport 4.63
    Digital communication 3.94
    Civil engineering 3.52
    Other consumer goods 3.24
    Others 37.74
    Patent Grants
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 14,497 5 10,082 4 3,843 11
    1998 35,900 3 16,990 3 5,959 8
    1999 43,314 3 23,737 2 7,077 8
    2000 22,943 3 12,013 5 6,494 8
    2001 21,833 3 12,842 3 6,468 8
    2002 30,175 3 14,871 4 6,900 7
    2003 30,525 3 13,653 4 8,863 8
    2004 35,284 3 13,784 4 10,193 7
    2005 53,419 3 20,093 4 10,615 6
    2006 89,303 3 31,487 3 13,566 6
    2007 91,645 2 32,060 3 14,975 6
    2008 61,115 3 22,408 5 18,587 5
    2009 42,129 4 14,603 6 21,681 4
    2010 51,404 4 17,439 5 24,615 4
    2011 72,258 4 22,462 5 25,456 4
    Patents in Force
  • Note
    		•
    Year Patents in Force Rank
    2004 331,437 6
    2005 420,906 4
    2006 465,988 4
    2007 566,965 4
    2008 624,419 4
    2009 637,197 4
    2010 640,412 3
    2011 678,005 4
    Utility Model Applications
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 45,450 2 359 4 220 7
    1998 28,604 2 286 4 161 8
    1999 30,344 2 306 4 164 11
    2000 36,817 2 346 5 211 6
    2001 40,389 2 415 5 224 6
    2002 38,662 2 531 4 300 9
    2003 40,174 2 651 4 247 12
    2004 37,167 2 586 4 216 6
    2005 36,534 2 641 4 232 7
    2006 32,193 2 715 4 90 14
    2007 20,632 2 452 5 184 9
    2008 16,971 2 434 5 216 9
    2009 16,801 2 343 5 189 8
    2010 13,193 3 468 5 296 9
    2011 11,462 4 392 6 310 8
    Trademark Applications
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 66,222 4 20,843 3 5,944 16
    1998 42,901 9 14,492 13 3,061 30
    1999 71,262 8 16,070 10 4,191 22
    2000 90,596 6 19,477 10 6,175 22
    2001 86,408 4 20,729 5 6,043 22
    2002 90,014 4 17,862 5 8,013 19
    2003 92,368 4 18,243 8 7,472 24
    2004 91,935 4 21,385 4 9,895 24
    2005 99,436 4 23,628 4 13,046 25
    2006 105,544 4 25,194 4 14,753 25
    2007 112,157 5 29,132 3 19,753 24
    2008 107,487 4 29,974 3 19,403 25
    2009 108,170 4 26,041 3 25,999 21
    2010 106,896 4 22,590 8 34,271 19
    2011 112,576 4 21,069 10 37,242 19
    Trademark Registrations
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 30,880 6 11,604 15 4,550 16
    1998 41,637 7 17,977 4 3,948 18
    1999 23,290 7 9,678 19 2,883 22
    2000 24,342 8 6,507 40 3,058 22
    2001 26,872 7 6,811 38 2,701 22
    2002 32,678 7 7,910 29 3,379 22
    2003 37,718 7 9,405 20 5,681 22
    2004 42,325 6 11,627 12 7,212 23
    2005 49,752 5 9,795 16 7,978 26
    2006 52,827 5 16,532 8 8,800 28
    2007 48,266 7 14,904 12 12,265 27
    2008 50,927 6 11,516 21 15,070 27
    2009 38,538 9 11,915 11 20,107 23
    2010 41,712 9 14,929 10 32,366 19
    2011 55,571 7 20,900 5 30,458 19
    Industrial Design Applications
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 26,675 3 1,816 8 518 13
    1998 22,144 3 1,588 20 618 14
    1999 30,871 3 1,533 20 680 16
    2000 32,110 3 1,731 21 952 13
    2001 35,074 3 1,793 20 955 14
    2002 35,399 2 2,188 18 874 11
    2003 34,994 3 2,613 6 1,865 18
    2004 38,041 2 3,143 6 4,467 17
    2005 41,918 2 3,304 6 13,214 11
    2006 48,018 2 3,021 6 17,042 11
    2007 50,868 2 3,494 6 14,222 13
    2008 52,786 2 3,964 5 14,883 13
    2009 54,934 2 2,969 6 13,931 13
    2010 53,601 2 3,586 6 16,393 12
    2011 52,812 2 3,712 6 17,942 12
    Industrial Design Registrations
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 22,865 4 1,768 10 421 17
    1998 22,700 5 2,231 17 503 18
    1999 18,167 5 1,469 20 577 18
    2000 17,728 4 1,117 24 609 16
    2001 17,373 4 1,277 23 832 16
    2002 25,318 4 1,917 18 656 13
    2003 25,680 4 2,700 5 1,351 18
    2004 28,311 3 2,710 4 2,817 18
    2005 31,040 2 2,952 6 12,140 12
    2006 31,503 2 2,703 7 15,514 11
    2007 37,631 2 3,114 5 13,957 12
    2008 36,645 2 3,213 7 15,637 13
    2009 29,628 2 2,463 9 14,288 13
    2010 31,523 2 2,174 7 16,222 12
    2011 39,443 2 2,742 7 17,317 12
    International Applications via WIPO Administered Treaties
  • Note
    		•
    Year PCT System Rank Madrid System Rank Hague System Rank
    1997 306 20        
    1998 510 15        
    1999 871 13        
    2000 1,578 11     1 29
    2001 2,319 9        
    2002 2,519 9        
    2003 2,941 7 68 32    
    2004 3,549 7 127 28    
    2005 4,686 6 148 27    
    2006 5,945 5 190 26    
    2007 7,064 4 330 23    
    2008 7,899 4 186 30    
    2009 8,035 4 249 23    
    2010 9,669 5 354 17    
    2011 10,447 5 488 16    
    PCT Top Applicants (Publication Year = 2011)
  • Note
    		•
    Applicant Publication Rank
    LG ELECTRONICS INC. 1,336 8
    SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. 757 15
    LG CHEM, LTD. 214 66
    LG INNOTEK CO. LTD. 118 135
    ELECTRONICS & TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF KOREA 104 156
    KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 103 159
    SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY 99 168
    PANTECH CO., LTD. 86 198
    SK TELECOM CO., LTD. 80 214
    CHEIL JEDANG CORPORATION 63 267
    PCT National Phase Entry (Direct and via Regional Office)
  • Note
    		•
    Year Resident Rank Non-Resident Rank Abroad Rank
    1997 13 18 10,006 6 97 21
    1998 37 17 10,801 6 331 20
    1999 30 18 12,308 7 582 19
    2000 78 18 14,798 6 1,245 16
    2001 168 15 16,518 6 1,458 16
    2002 130 18 17,738 6 1,911 14
    2003 148 18 16,824 6 1,996 14
    2004 223 19 21,437 6 4,591 14
    2005 246 19 24,515 6 6,378 11
    2006 227 19 26,985 6 8,358 10
    2007 263 20 30,387 5 9,988 10
    2008 423 20 31,486 5 11,717 10
    2009 328 20 26,995 5 12,331 9
    2010 344 20 29,172 5 13,314 8
    2011 363 20 30,676 5 13,684 8
    Source: WIPO statistics database. Last updated : 12/2012
  • The statistics are based on data collected from IP offices or extracted from the PATSTAT database (for statistics by field of technology). Data might be missing for some years and offices or may be incomplete for some origins. The data relating to population and gross domestic product (GDP) are from the UN Statistics Division and the World Bank.
  • A resident filing refers to an application filed in the country by its own resident; whereas a non-resident filing refers to the one filed by a foreign applicant. An abroad filing refers to an application filed by this country's resident at a foreign office.
  • Where an office provides total filings without breaking them down into resident and non-resident filings, WIPO divides the total count using the historical share of resident filings at that office.
  • IP filings and Economy lists patent, trademark and industrial design filings worldwide by applicants from this country (resident + abroad).
  • One filing at the Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO), the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) or the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) is treated as equavalent of multiple abroad filings at each member state; whereas one filing at the European Patent Office (EPO) or the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) is counted as one abroad filing due to lack of information on designation.
  • Contact information: Economics and Statistics Division, WIPO. Tel.: +41-22-338-91-11, email: Ipstats.mail@wipo.int.
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