Patent
South Korea is a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The deadline for entering the national phase via the PCT is 31 months. If the applicant and the inventor are different persons, a declaration explaining the relationship between them must be submitted. A Korean translation of the specification must be submitted. A request for search must be filed within 5 years of filing the patent application. Patent protection lasts 20 years. The fees for the first 3 years must be paid together with registration. From the 4th year onward, the fees must be paid every year.
Utility Model
The requirements are the same as for patents. Utility model protection lasts 10 years. A request for search must be filed within 3 years of filing the utility model application.