In 2003, Korea was listed as the world's seventh largest country in the number of international patent applications under PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty), recording 2,947 cases and accounting for 2.7% of the global total. The number also represents a 15.5% year-on-year increase from 2002 when Korea ranked eighth.

The ranking of the number of international patent applications filed in 2003 was in the order of the United States, Japan, Germany, the U.K., France, Netherland, Korea and Sweden. Last year, Korea outpaced Sweden which ranked seventh in 2002.

Korea stood out among developing countries, followed by China, India, Republic of South Africa, Singapore, Brazil, etc.

The rankings by applicant among developing countries showed that LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics filed 267 and 216 applications, respectively, and stood first and second, while LG Chemical (41 cases), CJ (37 cases) and Korea Electronics & Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) (34 cases) ranked sixth, eighth and ninth respectively, enhancing the global position of Korean enterprises. As an individual, Sohn Young-Shik filed a total of 34 applications and ranked ninth, together with ETRI.

PCT is an international treaty to make overseas patent application procedures easier for enterprises and inventors around the world. Korea signed the treaty in 1984, and has been joined by 123 countries as of January 2004.

A KIPO official said the reason for the increase in Korea's international patent applications is that filing of the applications in the Korean language became possible owing to KIPO's strengthened international activities, in addition to domestic firms' enhanced awareness of the need for international protection of their technologies.