The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Cambodia Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI), the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the Cambodia-Korea Alumni Association (CAMKAA), recently organized a knowledge-sharing seminar themed “Promotion of Investment in Cambodia through Intellectual Property and the Patent Recognition Program.”

The lecture, held at the MISTI, was part of KOICA’s continuous efforts to develop Cambodia’s intellectual property system and encourage the use of the Patent Recognition Programme.

The occasion was presided over by Moon Jung Choi, country director of the KOICA Cambodia Office, Sovanrith Phork, Secretary of State for MISTI, and Sour Im, president of CAMKAA. Vichea Suon, director of the IP department at the MOC, also presented Cambodia’s current IP plans and best practices, highlighting the importance of IP in economic growth. He also discussed the KOICA-MOC project under consideration, titled “Cambodia’s National Trademark Management Center (NTMC) and IP-Business Information Platform Development Project,” which is set to begin in 2026, emphasizing the importance of continuing collaboration with KOICA in the IP field.

MISTI’s Department of Industrial Property officials gave information about Cambodia’s intellectual property system and attempts to recognize patents. 

Drawing on their experience with KOICA’s 2023-2024 capacity-building training programme titled “Intellectual Property and Patent Recognition System in Cambodia,” they discussed how Korea’s IP system contributed to economic growth, strategies for applying these lessons to Cambodia, and the action plan developed as a result of the training. 

An overview of the Patent Recognition Program (PRP), including data on PRP requests, online filing methods, challenges faced, and proposed solutions to improve Cambodia’s patent examination process.

- Excel V. Dyquiangco