The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 10th that it will implement the "2026 integrated technology protection support program" to support the protection of small and midsize corporations' technology asset and the recovery from technology infringement damage.
This year's budget is 13.4 billion won, up about 27% from the previous year, and is expected to support about 2,500 small and midsize corporations.
The core program, the technology protection voucher, provides vouchers based on an assessment of participating corporations' security levels. Corporations can choose from a total of 10 programs, including building technology leakage prevention systems, technology data escrow, and the Technology Keeper Service. The support limits are 30 million won for beginner corporations, 50 million won for promising corporations, and 70 million won for leading corporations.
It also operates a technology data escrow system that safely stores corporations' core technologies and trade secrets and grants legal presumption of technology development in the event of a dispute. It is available at about 300,000 won per year.
Support to improve small and midsize corporations' capacity to prevent technology leaks and respond to disputes will also be strengthened. The integrated technology protection support team provides tailored consulting free of charge, with experts visiting corporations directly for up to seven days (three days basic plus four days advanced).
The government will also run a program to build technology leakage prevention systems, covering 80% of the expense for physical and technical security infrastructure. Starting this year, corporations can choose security products and services from a pool of pre-verified suppliers.
The Technology Keeper Service, which provides real-time security monitoring and an insider information leakage prevention program free of charge, prevents cyber hacking and insider-driven technology leaks. In addition, technology protection policy insurance will support up to 50 million won in domestic and overseas technology infringement litigation expense, with the government covering 70% to 80% of the premium.
It will also put effort into relief for damage. Through the integrated technology protection consultation and reporting center and the legal support team, it plans to strengthen legal consultation, dispute mediation and arbitration, and litigation response advice. Through specialized institutions, it will calculate the amount of damage incurred from technology infringement, and the government will cover 50% to 90% of the assessment fee. In civil and criminal lawsuits, if confirmed by the court as the victim corporation, the entire expense (100%) will be covered free of charge.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) will also hold a pan-government briefing on technology protection for small and midsize corporations with related ministries and agencies, including the Korean National Police Agency, the Ministry of Intellectual Property, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the Korea Fair Trade Commission. The briefing sessions will be held sequentially starting in Mar. in Busan, followed by Gwangju, Daejeon, Gangwon, and the Seoul metropolitan area.