South Korea expands intellectual‑property police to combat semiconductor and AI theft

South Korea’s Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced a major restructuring of its technology‑crime unit on 29 April. The “technology police” will more than double in size, growing from 27 to 61 investigators, and will be split into four dedicated divisions: a Technology‑Theft Special Judicial Police Division, a Technology‑Theft Division, an Intellectual‑Property Protection Analysis Division, and a Standards Team. An additional 28 investigators with specialist backgrounds – including patent examiners, PhDs, lawyers and patent attorneys – will be assigned to handle high‑risk cases involving core technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

The new analysis division will use patent‑big‑data to spot early warning signs of technology theft, while the standards team will overhaul investigative guidelines to ensure procedural fairness and human‑rights safeguards. KIPO director Kim Yong‑seon said, “The expansion will secure the golden time for detecting technology crimes,” emphasizing the agency’s goal to protect corporate innovation and national technology security.

The overhaul aims to strengthen pre‑emptive detection, rapid response, and legal robustness against increasingly organized and sophisticated technology‑theft operations.