[Opinion] Urgent Need to Expand Government Support for Protecting National Core Technologies

Significant Support for Infrastructure Construction Costs
Need for Skilled Workforce Training and Business-Friendly Administration
Urgent Support Needed to Revive Entrepreneurial Spirit

Son Heung-min and BTS are representative brands of South Korea recognized worldwide. Their success excites the public and instills pride in being Korean. In the economic sector, there are also representative brands acknowledged globally, such as semiconductors, automobiles, electrical and electronic products, shipbuilding, and displays, all of which possess global competitiveness. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of South Korea depends on the success or failure of these industries.

Just as overseas football big leagues covet player Son Heung-min, many countries are targeting our core technologies. While they attempt legal technology transfers through scouting key personnel and acquiring companies, they also secretly steal technology by bribing insiders or under the guise of establishing shell companies and joint ventures. According to the National Intelligence Service, 89 cases of industrial espionage have been uncovered in the past five years, with 33 of these involving the leakage of national core technologies.

If national core technologies leak overseas, it significantly impacts not only individual companies but also related industries, the national economy, and national security. Therefore, when designated as national core technologies, companies must fulfill protection obligations, undergo technology protection inspections, and obtain approval or report procedures when exporting or merging and acquiring. Although these procedures are essential for the country's economic security, they pose a considerable burden on companies.

For the protection of national core technologies to be effective, merely imposing obligations on companies is insufficient; active participation must be encouraged. To achieve this, the government needs to pay more attention to several matters.

First, the government should substantially support the infrastructure construction costs for technology protection borne by companies and further provide compensation measures for restrictions on companies' property rights resulting from the designation of national core technologies.

Although the 'Industrial Technology Protection Act' provides a basis for supporting companies holding national core technologies, support is limited to basic assistance such as security diagnosis, legal consultation, and security education, and only about 100 companies benefit. In the field, companies practically need systems to prevent technology leakage such as DLP (Data Loss Prevention), access control, and digital forensics, but many hesitate due to cost issues.

When national core technologies leak, damages reportedly range from hundreds of millions to billions of Korean won, yet the budget for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's industrial technology protection infrastructure project is only about 3 billion won. A significant budget increase is necessary to provide support that companies can truly feel.

Second, the government should cultivate specialized personnel for protecting national core technologies who possess interdisciplinary expertise and practical experience in related laws, intellectual property, and IT, and enable companies to utilize them at low cost.

When meeting company CEOs, they acknowledge the necessity of technology protection but express uncertainty about how to proceed. The Industrial Technology Protection Association operates the nationally certified 'Industrial Security Manager' qualification system, but there are only about 1,700 certificate holders, and operating such specialized personnel costs tens of millions of won annually, making it difficult for small and medium enterprises to hire them readily.

Third, administrative measures that consider the companies' perspectives are needed in system operation.

If a single technology overlaps as a national core technology, defense technology, and advanced strategic technology, companies must comply with redundant administrative procedures. Support agencies such as the Industrial Technology Protection Association, Trade Secret Protection Center, Defense Technology Protection Center, and the Foundation for Cooperation between Large, Medium, and Small Enterprises are dispersed, causing confusion among companies about which agency to seek help from.

A one-stop administrative service should be established. It is essential to create integrated protection guidelines for technology protection and build a 'Technology Protection Support Platform' that guides companies through procedures tailored to their technologies. In the long term, it is necessary to enact a basic law on national core technology protection to organize the technology protection system.

The entrepreneurial spirit of technology patriotism (Gisul Boguk), which builds corporate competitiveness by accumulating technology and contributes to the national economy, has been the driving force behind South Korea's growth. Now is the time for comprehensive government support for national core technology protection to rekindle this entrepreneurial spirit once again.

Kim Ki-dong, Chief Attorney at Law Firm Robaex