On 3 July 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) announced amendments to the Enforcement Rules of the Trademark Act, effective from 17 June. For international trademark registrations designating South Korea under the Madrid System, the exemption from filing a separate representative notification has been broadened. Previously, the exemption applied when the first filing was a request to extend a designated period; it now also covers cases where the first filing is a request to extend a statutory period.
The change is modest, but practical. It should reduce avoidable correspondence and procedural corrections caused by non-substantive filing defects, especially for non-resident applicants working through local representatives. It does not alter substantive examination standards or guarantee a shorter examination period, so applicants should still verify powers of representation, deadline categories and filing formalities before relying on the simplified route.
