KIPO welcomes new commissioner

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

KIPO welcomes new commissioner

President Myung-bak Lee has appointed a new Commissioner, Ho-won Kim, to head the Korea Intellectual Property Office. Kim’s term began on May 1

According to Eun Kyul Park, deputy director of the multilateral affairs division, Kim stresses the importance of intellectual property as a source of global competitiveness.

He also says that one of his goals is to increase the timeliness and quality of patent examinations in South Korea.

Kim has served in high-level positions in the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. His previous roles in the Korean government include deputy minister for regulatory reform, standing commissioner of the Korea Trade Commission, and director general of the Industrial Technology Bureau.

Most recently, he was the deputy minister for national agenda in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Kim has a PhD in public administration from Chung-Ang University, and master’s degrees from Seoul National University and the University of California, San Diego. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Pusan National University.

Look for Managing IP’s interview with Commissioner Kim in our June issue.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

This year’s IP STARS Americas rankings reveal that firms are expanding their capabilities, particularly in trade secrets and life sciences
Law firms’ expanding IP capabilities are driving broader industry recognition across a wider range of practice areas
As specialist boutiques challenge traditional firm models, major disputes involving Disney, Ericsson, Siemens and Dolby highlight the firms winning work before the UPC
The firm has added two leading damages specialists as it expands beyond technical analysis and deepens its role in the economics of IP litigation
Josh Seidenfeld, partner at DLA Piper, outlines the emerging legal trends that drive the future of life sciences innovation and how stakeholders can prepare for the future
South Korea's One Law Partners is combining with boutique firm Minwho Law Group to leverage global expansion of K-content and build a broader offering spanning IP, tech and regulatory advisory work
Russell Kennedy's Gina Tresidder on juggling matters, delivering hard truths, and why IP ownership is rarely as simple as people think
Attorney Oran Friar and trainee attorney Harry Cunliffe at Reddie & Grose, share that patent filings for clinical LLMs are surging, but success in the UK and Europe hinges on demonstrating technical innovation
Implementers can use the UK courts to seek FRAND terms for patent pool licences
The first credible UPC spinouts are growing, and they are coming from elite patent litigation teams, suggesting specialist litigators may no longer need large platforms to compete
Gift this article