KT&G Receives Minister’s Commendation at the 2026 Corporate Intellectual Property Awards
The company’s number of registered patents increases approximately 41-fold in eight years, with overseas rights accounting for 77% of its total intellectual property portfolio
Photo Description
Park Mi-hee, Head of the Intellectual Property Team at KT&G’s R&D Headquarters, received a commendation from the Minister of Intellectual Property at the 2026 Corporate Intellectual Property Awards on October 28. The photo shows Park Mi-hee (second from right) posing with Kim Yong-seon (second from left), Minister of Intellectual Property, and other award recipients at the 2026 Corporate Intellectual Property Awards ceremony held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul.
Park Mi-hee, Head of the Intellectual Property Team at the R&D Headquarters of KT&G (CEO Bang Kyung-man), received a commendation from the Minister of Intellectual Property at the 2026 Corporate Intellectual Property Awards on October 28.
Organized by the Korea Intellectual Property Association (KINPA), the 2026 Intellectual Property Awards ceremony honors companies and professionals who have driven growth and enhanced competitiveness across the intellectual property sector.
KT&G established a dedicated intellectual property (IP) department in 2017 and has continued to strengthen its IP portfolio by actively pursuing patent applications and registrations. In recognition of her contributions to strengthening the company’s intellectual property competitiveness in line with KT&G’s IP management strategy, Park Mi-hee, Head of the Intellectual Property Team, received a commendation from the Minister of Intellectual Property. Under her leadership, domestic and international patent registrations increased about 41-fold, from 39 in 2017 to 1,611 last year.
KT&G is also strengthening its foundation for future growth by expanding the number of industrial property rights it holds in the trademark and design sectors. The number of KT&G’s registered trademarks and designs increased approximately fivefold, from 243 in 2017 to 1,205 last year, further enhancing the competitiveness of its brand assets.
KT&G is recognized both in Korea and abroad as a leading company in intellectual property management. This year, KT&G was named one of the “Top 100 Global Innovators” by LexisNexis, a global provider of intellectual property information and analytics, for the fourth consecutive year. As of the end of last year, KT&G held a cumulative total of 16,751 intellectual property rights, 77% of which were overseas rights.
Park Mi-hee stated, “This award reflects KT&G’s strong support for technology research and development, as well as its patent management strategy aimed at securing future growth engines. We will continue to strengthen our capabilities in managing our intellectual property portfolio and contribute to KT&G’s global competitiveness.”