Director General Tang Visits Republic of Korea, Meets President, Senior Government Officials and other Stakeholders
February 10, 2023
SEOUL, Republic of Korea – WIPO Director General Daren Tang on February 10, 2023 concluded a three-day official visit to the Republic of Korea, where he met with President Yoon Suk Yeol and other government officials to discuss deepening the existing cooperation between WIPO and the Republic of Korea.
Bilateral Talks
In discussion with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Mr. Tang spoke of WIPO’s objective of making the global IP ecosystem more inclusive and to increase the focus on women, youth and SMEs.
President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke of support for WIPO’s efforts and shared the view that it is essential to work together in building a more inclusive global intellectual property (IP) ecosystem, for these and other key stakeholders, as well as to bring IP closer to developing countries through the Republic of Korea’s IP overseas development assistance programs.
Mr. Tang also met with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Mr. Myeongsu Kim, Mr. Bo Gyoon Park, Minister, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Minister of Justice, Mr. Dong Hoon Han, to discuss cooperation on judicial training, growth of K-culture in the Republic of Korea, and IP enforcement and share views to strengthen their engagement with WIPO in these key areas.
Mr. Tang additionally met with Ms. Insil Lee, Commissioner, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), where they discussed current and future areas of cooperation between WIPO and KIPO, including work under the WIPO-Korea Funds-in-Trust (FIT), and with the Korean Copyright Commission (KCC) and the Korean Copyright Protection Agency (KCOPA), to learn about developments in the creative industries.
Meetings with SMEs
In meetings with other government officials, entrepreneurs and SMEs representatives, the Director General noted the dynamic and well established SME and IP ecosystem in the Republic of Korea, which provides an example that many developing countries can follow.
As part of an engaging roundtable with youth representatives, female entrepreneurs and SMEs, held at ‘d.camp’, the country's first multi-purpose startup hub operated by the Banks Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs, Mr. Tang called SMEs “engines of opportunity” and the key driver of the Republic of Korea’s economy where with SMEs account for over 99 per cent of enterprises and 80 per cent of employment.
Mr. Tang and the panelists discussed how further progress on IP-backed finance can help strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem, and learnt of ongoing developments in areas such as IP valuation, which may help further strengthen domestic access to IP-backed finance for SMEs and innovators. The Director General also had the opportunity to answer questions from the ‘Invention Press Corps’, a group of youth who report on activities related to inventions and IP in the Republic of Korea.
Expanding Support on IP Education
In strengthening cooperation with the Republic of Korea for supporting the development of the global IP ecosystem, Mr. Tang signed a Memorandum of Understanding renewing WIPO’s partnership with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the Korean Development Institute School of Public Policy (KDI), and including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) to further reinforce the joint Master’s Degree program on IP and Development Policy (MIPD).
This program has delivered practical know-how on IP and development to policy-makers, IP practitioners and professionals from developing countries and LDCs, since its establishment in 2018. With the addition of the MCST as a partner, the curriculum will be further boosted in topics including the strategic use of copyright and cultural content, areas where the Republic of Korea has strong expertise, to enhance capacity building of creative IP talents in developing countries.
Meeting with Key IP filers
Director General Tang met with LG Electronics, the fourth largest filer under WIPO’s PCT system, where he discussed how their use of IP is taking a new generation of innovative products to market.
As industrial innovation is only one part of the country’s growth and success, Mr. Tang paid a visit to the global cosmetics giant Amorepacific, a key user of WIPO’s Madrid system, to discuss how the Madrid system supports the company’s branding strategies and learnt how collaborations with K-Pop stars from BTS and BLACKPINK is boosting their marketing campaigns at home and abroad.
Meeting with Creative Industries
The rise of K-pop, K-drama and K-fashion across the global, is not about luck or good fortune, but the result of planning and execution over decades. To discuss its growth and future direction of the creative industries, Mr. Tang visited HYBE, one of the Republic of Korea’s leading multinational entertainment companies.
During the meeting they not only discussed Hallyu, or the Korean wave, but learnt about the IP management strategies for K-pop artists, and the growing convergence of entertainment and technology, where companies like themselves are evolving into technology platform companies.
International Intellectual Property Protection Conference
At an event co-hosted by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the Financial News, Director General Tang was invited to deliver the keynote address at the 13th International Intellectual Property Protection Conference.
Speaking on the topic of IP – The driving force of innovative growth, Mr. Tang remarked on the resilience and innovation of the people of the Republic of Korea. This, he noted, has helped transformed the nation. Its well-rounded and comprehensive IP development in such as few short decades has catapulted among the world’s major economic powers, where it ranks 6th in WIPO’s Global Innovation Index (GII) for 2022, and 1st in the Asia-Pacific Region. Attended by over 500 legal and IP practitioners, from the Republic of Korea and abroad, the conference provided an opportunity to hear insightful views on cases of innovative growth and global IP developments.
Engaging with key user groups
Director General Tang also met with the Korea Women’s Inventors Association (KWIA), the Korean Patent Attorney Association (KPAA), the Korea Intellectual Property Association (KINPA), and the Presidential Council on IP (PCIP).
A common theme among Mr. Tang’s meetings was WIPO’s desire to share the Republic of Korea’s experiences in developing their own IP system, and a commitment to work with them to help build a more inclusive IP global ecosystem that supports all countries and communities.