In South Korea, when two similar trademarks are filed for similar goods, only the earlier application can register. MOIP, the Ministry of Intellectual Property (formerly KIPO), examines each application, then opens a 30-day opposition period. This guide shows the steps, timing, and government fees.
each further class KRW 52,000; the registration fee is separate
Typical time
13 to 15 months
with no objection
Opposition period
30 days
from publication; anyone may oppose
Lasts
10 years
from registration; renew in the year before it ends
How filing works
Four Steps, From the Search to the Certificate
1
Search the Korean Register
Check for earlier trademarks before you file. MOIP groups similar goods and services under similar group codes, so the search reads those codes as well as the class.
2
A Qualified Local Attorney Files
A qualified local attorney files your application with MOIP, in Korean, and acts as your representative there. If you filed the same trademark abroad in the last six months, the application can claim that earlier date (priority).
3
MOIP Examines and Publishes
An examiner checks that the trademark is distinctive and does not conflict with an earlier one. With no ground for refusal, MOIP publishes it in the Trademark Gazette and anyone may oppose within 30 days.
4
Pay the Registration Fee
After the decision to register, the registration fee is due within two months. The trademark right begins on the registration date and lasts 10 years.
What is different here
Six Facts About Filing in South Korea
The Earlier Application Comes First
When two owners file similar trademarks for similar goods on different days, only the earlier application can register. The right itself begins at registration, not with first use.
A 30-Day Opposition Period
Since 22 July 2025, anyone may oppose within 30 days of publication. Applications published before that date kept the earlier two-month period.
A Representative in South Korea
An owner with no address or place of business in South Korea acts through a representative based there. A qualified local attorney files your application and represents you before MOIP.
Similar Group Codes, Not Only Classes
MOIP gives each group of similar goods or services a similar group code. Under the Trademark Act, the class alone does not set which goods count as similar.
One Trademark per Application
Each application covers one trademark, in one or more classes. A Korean-script (Hangul) version of your name is a different sign, so it is filed as its own application.
Use Within Three Years
You can file and register before you use the trademark. Once it is registered, anyone may ask to cancel it if it has not been used in South Korea for three years in a row.
Timeline
What Happens, and When
The usual path, with no objection and no opposition.
Day 1
Filed
A qualified local attorney files with MOIP, which examines applications in the order they are filed.
About month 12
First Action
MOIP's average time from filing to a first action was 11.9 months in 2025.
Next 30 days
Opposition Period
After publication in the Trademark Gazette, anyone may oppose within 30 days.
Months 13 to 15
Registered
With no opposition, MOIP decides to register and the registration fee is paid within two months.
Every 10 years
Renewal and Use
Renew in the year before the term ends, and keep the trademark in use in South Korea.
What it costs
Government Fees at MOIP
Step
Government fee
Note
Application, one class
KRW 52,000
Filed online. KRW 46,000 when only MOIP's listed goods names are used; KRW 62,000 on paper.
Each further class
KRW 52,000
The same fee for every class. KRW 2,000 more for each item above 10 in a class.
Registration, per class
KRW 201,000
Due within two months of the decision to register. Or two payments of KRW 122,000.
Renewal, per class
KRW 300,000
KRW 330,000 in the six months after the term ends.
Opposition, per class
KRW 50,000
Paid by the party that opposes.
Record a new owner
KRW 40,000
For each transfer by assignment. KRW 14,000 for inheritance or a company merger.
The examiner sends a notice of grounds for refusal and sets a period of up to two months for a written reply. The period can be extended on request. Where the ground is an earlier trademark, the earlier owner's consent can remove it, unless both the trademark and the goods are identical. If the refusal stands, the owner can request re-examination or appeal within three months.
Anyone can, within 30 days of publication in the Trademark Gazette. The opponent then has 30 more days to complete its reasons and evidence. You receive a copy and a set time to answer, and a panel of three examiners decides.
MOIP examines applications in the order they are filed. An owner who already uses the trademark on all the listed goods, or is clearly preparing to, can request expedited examination. MOIP's fee for the request is KRW 160,000 per class. It is not available for an international application filed through WIPO's Madrid System.
On the direct route you pay MOIP's application fee at filing and its registration fee after approval, per class, in Korean won. Through WIPO's Madrid System you pay WIPO's fees in Swiss francs, which include an individual fee for South Korea of CHF 150 per class. MOIP examines both under the same law, and any reply to MOIP goes through a representative in South Korea.
