Seoul has been ranked as the fourth largest science and technology cluster in the world. According to a report by AFP on August 27, 2024, based on the latest rankings from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which are determined by patent filings and scientific publications, Seoul has dropped from third place last year to fourth, falling behind Beijing. Tokyo and Yokohama remain at the top spot, while Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou maintain the second position. Following Seoul are Shanghai, Suzhou, San Jose, San Francisco, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Boston, Cambridge, Nanjing, San Diego, Paris, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Nagoya within the

top 15.

In Tokyo, the company with the highest number of patent applications was Mitsubishi Electric. In Shenzhen, Huawei, China’s largest telecommunications equipment provider, led in patent filings. WIPO reported that China has the most clusters on the top 100 list, with 26 regions, followed by the United States with 20 regions and Germany with 8. South Korea, along with India, each has 4 regions on the list. In South America, São Paulo in Brazil is the only city from the region to make the top 100, coming in at 73rd place, while Cairo in Egypt represents Africa at 95th place.

(KBS News 2024.08.28)