최근 북한의 지식재산권 발전전략과 상징성

This article analyzes the development strategy and the associated symbolism following the strengthening of the intellectual property rights(IPR) system under the Kim Jong-un regime. The results are as follows. First, the changes in the IPR system during the Kim Jong-un era go beyond mere technological protection. They encompass multiple objectives, including institutional alignment with the international community, securing regime legitimacy, and devising strategies to circumvent economic sanctions. Second, North Korea's recent IPR system functions as a politicized institutional space mediated by symbolic and formal adoption of norms. This reflects a complex strategy aimed at simultaneously constructing a technoscientific governance framework domestically and projecting a narrative of a “Normal State” to the outside world. Third, the recent intellectual property policy of North Korea is positioned as a limited experiment aimed at converting development and creative achievements into national assets and serving as a mechanism for regulating order between the market and the state. Externally, through participation in international agreements and institutional rhetoric, IPR is being utilized as a symbolic asset in what can be called “institutional diplomacy” to break diplomatic isolation. These strategies reposition North Korea's IP system not merely as a space of technical or administrative functions but as a complex domain where political and diplomatic strategies intersect. This reconceptualization offers policy and theoretical implications for non-military cooperation and institutional integration between the two Koreas.