A total of 24 trademarks specifying places of origin will be registered by the end of this year, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) predicts. The figure is more than double the number of such registrations last year. Eight geographically specified trademarks were registered in 2008.

Korean law does not permit trademarking of place names. Instead, if the region specified in the name of a product is the place of origin, it can be protected under the geographical indication system, just as it would be protected under trademark registration. According to KIPO, dried mushrooms from Jangheung, South Jeolla Province, were registered in November 2006, with "Jangheung shiitake mushroom" the first geographically specified trademark.

Since then, a total of 34 local specialties have been registered under the geographical indication system -- 10 in 2007, eight in 2008 and 15 until October this year. That way, Korean rice wine brand "Pocheon Makgeoli," which was already trademarked in Japan by a Japanese company, can be protected under the geographical indication system.

KIPO said the geographical indication system is a good way to help farmers earn more money while invigorating local economies. For instance, dried persimmon manufacturers in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, have seen sales jump 23 percent from W87.1 billion (US$1=W1,182) to W106.8 billion since they registered the product as "Sangju Gotgam." The number of gotgam producers has increased 41 percent, and the amount of production 23 percent.

KIPO plans to raise awareness of the geographical indication system through 30 regional intellectual property offices nationwide.