IP policy body holds third intellectual property forum

A forum opened Thursday to assess the state of the intellectual property-based startup ecosystem, share outstanding commercialization cases and explore ways to improve government support policies at each stage of the startup process.

The National Intellectual Property Committee, a presidential advisory body co-chaired by Lee Kwang-hyung (hereinafter "the IP Committee"), held its third IP Policy Forum of 2026 on Thursday at Seoul Club Hall on the 18th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, under Lee's chairmanship.

The forum drew about 30 opinion leaders from the judiciary, industry and media, including representatives from the IP Committee, the Intellectual Property Office, the Supreme Court, the Patent Court, the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, the Korea Intellectual Property Association, the Intellectual Property Lawyers Association, the Korea Venture Business Association, the Innobiz Association, the Korea Intellectual Property Research Institute and the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency, as well as key civilian members of the IP Committee and journalists from the IP Press Association.

The first presenter, Kye Seung-gyun, a professor at Pusan National University, spoke on ways to upgrade the full-cycle support system for IP-based startups. He conducted a comprehensive survey of IP startup support projects run by central ministries — including the Intellectual Property Office, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism — as well as 26 regional intellectual property centers nationwide. Using a multidimensional matrix analysis across ministry-by-stage, stage-by-type and target-by-stage dimensions, he pinpointed gaps in the support framework. Kye identified four major policy blind spots: a support gap for growth-stage companies more than seven years old; the limitations of a patent-centric design for copyright-based startups in software and content; weak linkages between IP valuation and financial support; and barriers to early export market entry. He recommended phased improvements including mandatory inter-ministry consultative bodies, automatic IP finance linkages and stronger regional IP support.

Lee Hae-shin, a chair professor at KAIST, then presented on successful cases of patent-based startups and commercialization, tracing his own journey from research into polyphenol and polydopamine adhesive and coating technologies in 2009 through two subsequent ventures. Drawing on related patents, Lee co-founded Innotherapy, a medical hemostatic agent company that he led to a Kosdaq listing, and in 2023 founded Polyphenol Factory, launching products including Gravity shampoo and capturing the top market share in South Korea's hair-loss care segment. Based on those experiences, he outlined the key success factors for translating laboratory intellectual property into actual startups and commercial products.

Following the presentations, Lee Kwang-hyung chaired an open discussion in which all participants took part, examining policy challenges and on-the-ground difficulties in building a stable IP-based startup ecosystem.

"The on-site recommendations shared at today's forum will be faithfully reflected in the National Intellectual Property Committee's future policymaking," Lee said. "I ask for the continued attention and support of experts from all sectors so that an innovation-driven intellectual property ecosystem can take even firmer root."