Korean researchers are endeavoring to lead the ICT industry by developing and applying for many patents related with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and by working on international standardization.
ETRI announced that it had secured 43 international patents in 2019 alone, bringing its total number of international patents to 871. It boasts the top standardization achievements among Korean institutes, having acquired 39 international standards and secured 61 seats in international design groups, as well as having its international standards reflected in 21 publications.

The National Radio Research Agency (NRRA) recently announced that four new projects, including the standard draft of the “Communication protocol for low altitude drones” proposed by ETRI, have been selected as international standard assignments. The standards are expected to be enacted as international standards around 2022, pursuant to discussions with international organizations such as the ICAO and ITU.
This standard has been proposed with the goal of addressing the difficulty of exchanging data due to different communication specifications per manufacturer, which leads to the risk of collision. Enactment of this standard proposal will make it possible to improve the current communication methods of drones, thereby stabilizing their long-distance operation and activating the market for related services.

Korean researchers have developed an optical transmission/reception engine for 400-Gbps signals suitable for the massive data centers and base stations of telecom providers. This technology allows 100,000 users to stream 1080p video on YouTube simultaneously.
ETRI announced that it had succeeded in independently developing a “400-Gbps optical transmission/reception engine and optical elements for large-scale data centers.” ETRI's researchers managed to design and produce the optical transmission/reception engine as well as the optical elements for the engine solely with in-house technologies.

Korean researchers have successfully developed the core base software of an operating system applicable to AI drones and won the best security grade in the world. This will be a great help in boosting the competitiveness of the next generation of drones in Korea, including autonomous and manned ones, which will serve as the core of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

ETRI has developed a highly versatile AI semiconductor with the best performance in the world. The new product offers greater computing power than existing commercial products, while reducing power consumption by a large margin. It can be applied to mobile communication, autonomous vehicles, intelligent robots and drones, and is expected to serve as a milestone in the advancement of South Korea's non-memory semiconductor industry.

ETRI has developed a technology capable of recognizing sounds via a tactile sense for the acoustically handicapped. This will allow persons with an auditory disability to speak or sing in a more accurate voice according to their preference.
ETRI revealed that the new technology was made possible by developing the “Tactile Pitch System,” which analyzes the pitch of a person’s voice and ambient sounds and converts them into tactile patterns.