President Lee Mentions 'Westinghouse': "How Can They Still Wield Power Over Korean Companies After 20-25 Years?"

President Lee at Intellectual Property Office Briefing
Responds to "No Statute of Limitations for Trade Secrets"
Says, "I Can't Accept It, But..."

President Lee Jaemyung addressed the case of the intellectual property dispute with Westinghouse in the United States over nuclear power technology, questioning, "How is it that after 20 to 25 years, they still claim the technology as their own and continue to wield power over Korean companies?"

Yonhap News

On the 17th, during a work report by the Intellectual Property Office held at the Sejong Convention Center, President Lee remarked, "Not long ago, there was talk about Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power possibly entering into some strange agreement with Westinghouse over nuclear technology."

He continued, "We brought in the original technology, improved it, and after 25 years, shouldn't the protection period be over?"

In response, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeonggwan explained, "This is classified as a trade secret, so there is no time limit. In the case of trade secrets, there is no 25-year restriction."

Kim Yongseon, Commissioner of the Intellectual Property Office, added, "There are patents and trade secrets as ways to protect technology. Patents have a set term, but some choose trade secrets instead," using the Coca-Cola recipe as an example. President Lee replied, "That sounds plausible, but I can't fully accept it. It's a new company. But if that's how it is, what can we do?"

Previously, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Korea Electric Power Corporation had been engaged in a dispute with Westinghouse over nuclear power plant technology for more than two years since 2022, finally reaching a settlement in January of this year. Regarding the negotiations, the Democratic Party of Korea raised concerns that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Korea Electric Power Corporation may have agreed to resolve the dispute under excessively unfavorable terms in order to facilitate nuclear power plant exports to the Czech Republic.