Jo Seung-rae: "Minister Lee Jong-ho's 16 Billion Patent Rights Full of Suspicion"

"Only Individual Patent Obtained Among All KAIST Inventions Over 20 Years"

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT is delivering opening remarks at the meeting with CEOs of the three major telecommunications companies held on the afternoon of the 11th at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The controversy over Minister of Science and ICT Jong-ho Lee's semiconductor technology patent rights has reignited.

Since 2000, among approximately 15,000 work-related inventions at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Minister Lee's patent is the only case confirmed where an individual filed a patent and profited from it. Minister Lee earned over 16 billion KRW from this patent and is embroiled in a conflict of interest controversy due to disputes over patent revenue with affiliated organizations.

On the 3rd, Jo Seung-rae, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee from the Democratic Party (Daejeon Yuseong Gap), received a full report from KAIST on the "succession status of work-related invention patents (non-)transfer from 2000 to present" and conducted a thorough investigation. Out of a total of 15,548 cases, 15,547 patents were all transferred to KAIST domestically and internationally, but only the "Double-Gate FinFET Device and Its Manufacturing Method," with Minister Lee registered as the inventor, had its overseas patent rights transferred to him personally.

The semiconductor standard technology "Bulk FinFET" was developed in 2001 while Minister Lee was working at Wonkwang University, jointly conducting a national R&D project with KAIST. The domestic patent was filed by KAIST in 2002, but the U.S. patent was filed by Minister Lee in his personal name in 2003. In principle, technologies developed through national R&D funded by taxpayers belong to the research institution, and only in exceptional cases, such as when the institution explicitly waives rights, can individuals hold the patent rights.

Minister Lee is currently involved in a conflict of interest controversy due to disputes surrounding this patent. He receives 64% of the revenue as inventor compensation in exchange for transferring his U.S. patent to the private company KIP, which is currently in dispute with KAIST over Bulk FinFET patent revenues. The inventor compensation Minister Lee receives from KAIST is up to 50% of domestic patent revenue, which is less than the compensation rate from KIP. KAIST is an institution under the Ministry of Science and ICT, which holds approval authority over its president and board members.

Minister Lee has earned 16.687 billion KRW from patent income so far, of which 97.6%, or 16.283 billion KRW, came from the Bulk FinFET patent. According to the public official asset disclosure in August, Minister Lee's assets amount to 16.043 billion KRW, making him the second wealthiest senior official in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Assemblyman Jo stated, "Minister Lee's patent is full of suspicions and problems from the circumstances of its filing to the ensuing revenue disputes," and emphasized, "All issues, from the conflict of interest of a sitting minister to KAIST's poor patent management, must be thoroughly examined in this national audit."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.