South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP, formerly KIPO) announced on 29 June 2026 that it was reorganising and expanding its response to technology leakage, with the new structure taking effect on 30 June. A dedicated Technology Leakage Special Judicial Police Division will now handle trade secret theft and leakage involving strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, separating those investigations from routine patent and design infringement work. The technology police workforce is being increased from 27 to 61, with specialist investigators, patent examiners, legal professionals and technical experts assigned more directly to complex cases.
A newly established IP Protection Analysis Division will use patent big data to identify higher-risk technologies and organisations and to turn unusual signals into investigative leads. MOIP is also standardising investigative procedures, including access to legal counsel, broader mandatory audio and video recording, and clearer case-progress notifications. The policy marks a shift from reactive enforcement toward data-led early warning and specialised investigation. Companies in AI, chips and other sensitive fields should still treat internal controls as the first line of defence, especially tiered access rights, logging, document classification and rigorous exit procedures for staff with access to core know-how.
