Ban Minhyung
Managing Partner
Korean Patent Attorney
DFK, Direct Filing Korea
Korean patents and trademarks, direct from Korean patent attorneys.
Order your Korean patent or trademark filing online, directly from ROOT IP & Law Firm in Seoul. See the price before you order, and review the claims or goods list in your own language.
Filing a trademark? See trademark prices
- Registered Korean patent attorneysThree managing partners in Seoul
- Your patent and trademark administrator in KoreaRequired for applicants abroad (Patent Act, Article 5; Trademark Act, Article 6)
- Price before you orderPublished prices and an instant quote
- You approve before filingClaims in your language, then one exact version
Choose your path
What do you have now?
How it works
From pre-check to filing in four steps
- 1
Free pre-check
Answer a few questions. You see whether your country lets you file in Korea first, and which product fits.
About 2 minutes - 2
Order and invoice
Send your order at the listed price. We confirm we can take your case, then email the invoice.
Target: 1 business day - 3
Review in your language
We prepare the Korean text. You approve the claims in a comparison table in your language.
Draft target: 10 to 15 business days - 4
Filed in Korea
We file with Korea's patent office (MOIP) and send the filing receipt with a summary in your language.
Target: 1 business day after approval
What you approve
Control your Korean filing without reading Korean
We file in Korean, the official language of the application. Before anything is filed, you approve a claim comparison table: the Korean text, a translation back into your language and a plain explanation of each claim.
- You approve each claim, then one exact version for filing.
- If anything changes after you approve, we ask you again.
- A second attorney checks the package before it is filed.
Sample from a fictional case. See it in full
One firm
You instruct the firm that files
ROOT files in Korean with Korea's patent office, receives the official notices for you and reports to you in your language. One firm, one invoice.
DFK covers your Korean filing only. Your home-country and other foreign filings stay with your current attorney.
DFK route
- You
- You instruct ROOT directly
- ROOT
- MOIP, Korea
One firm, instructed by you, reporting to you directly.
Safeguards
Three checks made by people
Ordering is quick. These three steps are not automated.
Home-country rules
Before you pay, we confirm your country lets you file in Korea first.
Your approval
You approve one exact version of the claims. If anything changes, we ask you again.
Second attorney review
An attorney other than the drafter checks the filing package before it goes to the office.
- No payment until we accept your case
- Full refund if we can't take it
- Unused official fees refunded in full
- Attorney confidentiality from your first message
Who you work with
The attorneys behind your case
Ryu Minsoo
Managing Partner
Korean Patent Attorney
Kim Seonghyun
Managing Partner
Korean Patent Attorney
Questions
Before you order
Not sure you can file in Korea first?
Some countries require clearance before an invention made there is filed abroad. The free pre-check takes about two minutes. Attaching invention materials is optional.
About ROOT
A Korean patent law firm you can instruct directly
ROOT IP & Law Firm files and prosecutes patents and trademarks in Korea. With DFK you work with us yourself, without an agent in your own country.
Our name
ROOT means root
An idea needs strong roots before it can grow into a tree. ROOT designs those roots, so your technology is protected and can grow into an asset that holds its own in the market.
What ROOT does
- Filing and registrationPatents, designs and trademarks, from drafting to grant
- Dispute prevention and resolutionIP trials and dispute support
- Valuation and technology transferValuation reports, licensing and transfer deals
- IP strategy consultingPortfolio and filing strategy
- Certification and management consultingKorean company certifications and public funding
- In-house IP team outsourcingAn IP team for companies without one
Managing partners
The attorneys behind your case
ROOT is led by three managing partners, all Korean patent attorneys. Every DFK case has one responsible attorney and a language manager who checks your claim comparison table in your language. Our language desk works in Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and English.
Ban Minhyung
Managing Partner
Korean Patent Attorney
Ryu Minsoo
Managing Partner
Korean Patent Attorney
Kim Seonghyun
Managing Partner
Korean Patent Attorney
ROOT acts as your patent administrator
Korean law requires applicants with no address or place of business in Korea to act through a patent administrator in Korea (Patent Act, Article 5). ROOT takes that role. We file in Korean with the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP, formerly KIPO), receive official notices for you, and report to you in your language.
Check us before you order
- Look up our attorneys in the Korean Patent Attorneys Association register. Open the register
- Ask for our attorney registration certificates in English.
- See a sample claim comparison table and filing report before you pay.
- Firm: ROOT IP & Law Firm, 4F, 29 Teheran-ro 6-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Your invention stays confidential
- Attorney confidentiality applies from your first message.
- Technical materials are optional before you order. If your home country requires clearance, send them only after it is in place.
- Files stay in ROOT's document system, open only to your case team.
- Machine translation runs only on business services contracted not to train on your data, and we tell you where it is used.
Technical fields
- Electronics, semiconductors and devices
- Software, platforms, AI and business methods
- Mechanical parts, structures and equipment
- Chemistry, materials and biotech, quoted per case
Office
4F, 29 Teheran-ro 6-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
How it works
DFK: Direct Filing Korea
File your Korean patent online, directly with a Korean patent firm. ROOT files it with Korea's patent office and reports back to you in your language. One firm, one invoice.
- Registered Korean patent attorneys
- Your patent and trademark administrator in Korea
- Price before you order
- You approve before filing
Compare
Who works on your Korean filing
In the usual route, your home-country attorney instructs a Korean firm for you. With DFK, you instruct ROOT, the Korean firm, yourself.
Usual route
Firms working on your Korean filing2
- You
- Your home-country attorney
- Korean firm
- MOIP, Korea
Two firms work on your Korean filing, and you hear about it through your home-country attorney.
With DFK
DFK
Firms working on your Korean filing1
- You
- You instruct ROOT directly
- ROOT
- MOIP, Korea
One firm, instructed by you, reporting to you directly.
| What changes | Usual route | DFK |
|---|---|---|
Firms working on your Korean filing | Usual routeYour home-country firm and a Korean firm | DFKROOT only |
Who instructs the Korean firm | Usual routeYour home-country firm | DFKYou |
Your contact for Korea | Usual routeYour home-country firm | DFKROOT, in your language |
Price before you order | Usual routeQuoted by each firm per case | DFKPublished price list and instant quote |
Progress | Usual routeReported through your home-country firm | DFKYour case page, any time |
Payment | Usual routeThrough your home-country firm | DFKYour currency, paid to ROOT directly |
DFK covers your Korean filing only. Your home-country and other foreign filings stay with your current attorney.
Benefits
What you get
Five things change when you file through DFK.
One contact for Korea
Your questions go straight to the firm that files, and answers come back the same way.
Simple communication
Prices before you order
Fixed prices for standard cases and an instant quote for the rest. You pay the service fee once, at order. Official fees follow at cost.
Transparent pricing
Review in your language
We file in Korean. You approve a claim comparison table with a translation back into your language.
Easy filing
Progress online
Every step, document and deadline sits on your case page, with Korean deadlines shown in your time zone.
Real-time status
Pay in your currency
Invoices in JPY, CNY or USD. Pay by bank transfer or card, with Alipay in China and PayPal as a backup.
Easy payment
Process
From order to filing
Who does what at each step. Times are targets once your materials are complete.
- Order
Choose a product, see the price and send your order. About 3 minutes.
- Acceptance and invoice
We confirm we can take your case and email your invoice. You pay the service fee in your currency, by bank transfer, card or PayPal.
Within 1 business day - Materials
Upload your application or invention disclosure, inventor details and drawings, and sign the power of attorney.
- Drafting and translation
Priority and PCT: translation and claims arranged for Korean practice. New application: full drafting.
Priority and PCT 10 business days, new drafting 15 - Your review
Claim comparison table in your language. You approve one exact version.
- Filing
Filing receipt and a summary in your language.
Within 1 business day of approval - After filing
Examination request, office actions with a proposed response, grant and annuities.
Payment
When you pay, and for what
You pay ROOT's service fee once, in full, when you order. Official fees follow when we file, passed on at cost. Anything extra is quoted before we start.
- At orderThe service fee, in your currency, by bank transfer, card or PayPal
- At filingOfficial fees, about ₩400,000 in total, at cost
- When neededExtra work such as office action replies, quoted first
Safeguards
Three checks made by people
Home-country rules
Before you pay, we confirm your country lets you file in Korea first.
Your approval
You approve one exact version of the claims. If anything changes, we ask you again.
Second attorney review
An attorney other than the drafter checks the filing package before it goes to the office.
Who DFK suits
- Startups, SMEs and universities without an in-house IP team
- You filed at home and want to add Korea within 12 months
- You have a PCT application and want to enter Korea
- You sell, manufacture or partner in Korea
Talk to us first if
- Your deadline is less than 10 business days away
- Your case is chemistry or biotech with large data sets
- Your in-house IP team already instructs Korean firms directly
- Your invention was made in more than one country
What you approve
What you approve before filing
A claim comparison table: the Korean text we file, a translation back into your language, and a plain explanation of each claim. Sample from a fictional case.
- The Korean text is the official version. The translation is there for your review.
- You approve each claim, then one exact version for filing.
- If anything changes after you approve, we ask you again.
Add-on for new applications
Add to a new application
K-Fast Track
File in Korea first, request accelerated examination, and use the Korean result to ask for faster examination abroad through the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) where your office takes part. Once you file abroad claiming priority from the Korean application, the Korean application qualifies for accelerated examination.
Not sure you can file in Korea first?
Some countries require clearance before an invention made there is filed abroad. The free pre-check takes about two minutes. Attaching invention materials is optional.
Can you file in Korea first?
Some countries require clearance before an invention made or owned there is filed abroad, and breaking the rule can cost you the home patent. Answer a few questions about where the invention was made and who invented it. Attaching invention materials is optional.
Rules by country
General information as of October 2026, not legal advice. ROOT confirms every case before filing and consults local counsel for high-risk cases.
JPJapan
25 designated fields
Inventions completed in Japan that fall within 25 designated technology fields must be filed in Japan first, or cleared by JPO prior confirmation, before any filing abroad, PCT included. Nationality and residence don't matter.
Ways to comply: file in Japan and receive the non-transmission notice (within 3 months), or request prior confirmation (¥25,000, about 10 business days).
Economic Security Promotion Act, Arts. 66, 78 and 79. Penalty: up to 1 year in prison or ¥500,000.
CNChina
All fields
If the substance of an invention or utility model was completed in China, CNIPA confidentiality examination (保密审查) is required before filing abroad. Request it on its own, together with a Chinese application, or by filing a PCT application with CNIPA.
Without it, the Chinese patent can be refused or invalidated, with no later cure.
Patent Law, Art. 19. Implementing Rules, Arts. 8 and 9.
SGSingapore
Residents, all fields
Singapore residents, including valid pass holders and Singapore companies, need IPOS national security clearance before filing abroad, unless a Singapore application was filed at least 2 months earlier with no directions issued.
Online clearance usually takes 3 to 5 business days.
Patents Act 1994, s.34. Penalty: up to S$5,000 or 2 years in prison.
USUnited States
Made in the US
Inventions made in the United States, in whole or in part, need a USPTO foreign filing license before filing abroad. It usually appears on the US filing receipt. A separate petition takes about 3 business days when there is no security issue. Without a license, wait 6 months after the US filing.
35 U.S.C. 184 to 186. A violation can bar or invalidate the US patent.
BRBrazil
Defense-classified only
Only Brazilian applications that INPI processes as of national defense interest may not be filed abroad. Other inventions need no clearance.
Law 9.279/1996, Art. 75.
CACanada
Public servants only
Only inventions by federal public servants need the responsible minister's written consent before filing abroad.
Public Servants Inventions Act, s.4.
TWTaiwan
No general license
Taiwan has no general foreign filing license. A restriction applies only when an existing Taiwan application is classified as a national defense secret.
Patent Act, Art. 51.
INMYIndia and Malaysia
Residents
India: residents need Form 25 permission, or must wait 6 weeks after an Indian filing. Malaysia: residents need the Registrar's written authority, or must wait 2 months after a Malaysian filing.
India Patents Act, s.39. Malaysia Patents Act 1983, s.23A.
Patent prices and ordering
Trademark prices and ordering
Korean patents, the short guide
What you need to know before filing in Korea: deadlines, fees, subsidies and common questions.
Korea at a glance
First to fileA patent lasts 20 years from the filing date.
12 months for priorityFile in Korea within 12 months of your first filing to keep its date.
31 months for PCTEnter the Korean national phase within 31 months of the priority date.
Korean languageAn English-language filing can secure the date. The Korean translation is then due within 1 year and 2 months of the earliest priority date.
16 months for priority papersPriority documents are due within 16 months of the priority date. Electronic exchange replaces paper for many offices.
3 years to request examinationExamination starts only on request, within 3 years of the Korean filing date.
12-month grace periodYour own disclosure within 12 months before filing can be excused, but you must claim it.
Accelerated examinationAvailable on listed grounds, for example when the Korean application is the basis for filing abroad.
Deadline calculator
Korean deadlines end at midnight Korea time (KST). When the last day falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to the next business day.
Korean public holidays aren't included in this calculator. We confirm the exact date with your order.
Official fees
Paid to the Korean office and passed on at cost. Electronic filing, before any reduction.
| Item | Fee (KRW) |
|---|---|
| Filing, Korean-language application | ₩46,000 |
| Filing, foreign-language (English) application | ₩73,000 |
| Priority claim, each | ₩18,000 |
| Examination request | ₩166,000 + ₩51,000 per claim |
| Accelerated examination request | ₩200,000 |
| Registration and annuities | By number of claims, quoted at grant |
For a typical DFK case, official fees come to about ₩400,000 in total, billed at cost when we file. Fee table source: Patent Fee Collection Rules in force from 27 February 2026.
Quotes show official fees before any reduction.
Subsidies for filing abroad
Rules and intake dates change. Check with the program before you order; we provide itemized quotes and receipts for applications.
Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
When Korea allows your claims, you can often ask your home office to examine faster on that basis, if it has a PPH arrangement with Korea. K-Fast Track includes this guidance, and for other cases we tell you when your Korean result is ready to use.
Common questions
Payment, deadlines, home-country rules, confidentiality and what happens after filing, all on one page.
Articles
Short reads, to be published in Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and English.
Adding Korea within your 12-month priority year
Start at least six weeks before the deadline. We need your home application as filed and the priority number and date. We translate it into Korean, arrange the claims for Korean practice and send you a claim comparison table to approve. If time runs short, we can file in English first to secure the date and file the Korean translation later, within 1 year and 2 months of the priority date. Anything you add beyond the home application does not get the earlier date, so we mark it in the report.
Entering Korea from a PCT application
The Korean national phase deadline is 31 months from the priority date. We take the published international application from WIPO, translate it into Korean and enter the national phase with any amendments you choose. You review the claims in your language before we file. Examination can be requested at entry or later, within 3 years of the international filing date.
Filing abroad from Japan: the 25 designated fields
Since May 2024, inventions completed in Japan that fall within 25 designated technology fields must be filed in Japan first, or cleared, before any filing abroad, PCT included. The fields center on weapons, nuclear technology, space, submarines and similar areas, so most consumer and business technology is outside them. If yours might be inside, choose "Yes or not sure" in the free pre-check and we will walk you through the options.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about filing in Korea through ROOT. If yours isn't here, ask us in your own language.
Still have a question?
Write to us in your own language. We aim to reply within 1 hour in Korean business hours, otherwise by the next business morning (KST).
Ask us a questionTalk to us before you order
Questions about products, deadlines, home-country rules or subsidies. Please don't send confidential technical details here.
Send a question
DFK desk, ROOT IP & Law Firm in Seoul
Target reply: within 1 hour in Korean business hours, otherwise by the next business morning (KST). Our reply comes by email.
Find us
ROOT IP & Law Firm4F, 29 Teheran-ro 6-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul서울특별시 강남구 테헤란로6길 29, 4층
Show the Korean address to your taxi driver.
Office
ROOT IP & Law Firm
4F, 29 Teheran-ro 6-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea