Former Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Yoon Jong-yong, Who Laid the Foundation for South Korea's Patent Powerhouse

13th Intellectual Property Awards Winner
"Patent Management and Chairmanship of the Intellectual Property Committee, Historic Achievement"
Unable to Attend Ceremony Due to Illness

Attendees at the '13th Intellectual Property Awards' ceremony held on the 8th at the KAIST Dogok Campus all shared a sense of regret. This was partly because the awardee, former Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Yoon Jong-yong, could not attend due to illness, but it was also an expression of longing for his technological leadership.

The 'Intellectual Property Awards' are jointly presented by KAIST, the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, and the Korea Intellectual Property Service Association to individuals and organizations that have contributed to enhancing national competitiveness through activities related to the establishment, creation, utilization, and protection of intellectual property. The selection of awardees particularly focuses on the social influence of the candidates. Former Vice Chairman Yoon received the award together with the Kyungcheong Foundation (Chairman Jang Tae-kwan).

Moon Seong-pil, Dean of the Moon School of Future Strategy, stated, "In past ceremonies, those who contributed to establishing a patent foundation were awarded, but this year, we selected someone who made significant contributions specifically to the technology itself."

During his tenure, Vice Chairman Yoon significantly advanced the technological level of the domestic electronics industry through approximately 12 trillion won in technology development investments. He also emphasized the importance of technology development and protection, proposing ‘patent-focused management’ including the expansion of dedicated patent personnel.

With Vice Chairman Yoon’s active support, Samsung Electronics acquired thousands of world-class patents in fields such as semiconductors, displays, and communications, rapidly rising to become one of the top companies globally in patent acquisition. Without his investments, it might have been difficult for Samsung to overcome patent offensives from overseas companies like Apple and Texas Instruments.

Kim Doo-kyu, President of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, said, "It is almost impossible to fully honor Vice Chairman Yoon’s contributions with just this award."

Moon Seong-pil, Dean of the KAIST Graduate School of Future Strategy, is holding the plaque of the "13th Intellectual Property Award" bearing the name of Yoon Jong-yong, former Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics. Dean Moon is scheduled to meet former Vice Chairman Yoon to present the plaque. Photo by Baek Jong-min

Ko Ki-seok, Chairman of the Korea Intellectual Property Service Association and the judging committee, explained, "Vice Chairman Yoon is the key figure who, through unprecedentedly large-scale technology development R&D investments, talent management, and patent management, elevated not only Samsung Electronics but also the level of Korea’s advanced electronics industry globally. He also contributed to the passage of the Intellectual Property Basic Act in 2011 and served as the inaugural private chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee, laying the foundation for patent policy."

Although former Vice Chairman Yoon was fully qualified to receive the award, he reportedly wished to defer the honor to others. He expressed the opinion that "the award should be given to younger people," but the event organizers persuaded him to accept it to commemorate a key moment in the history of Korea’s national intellectual property strategy development.

Dean Moon said, "I will personally visit Vice Chairman Yoon to present the plaque and express our gratitude."