27. The representative of Korea expressed his appreciation of the Chairman's leadership and contribution to the way forward on this important and difficult agenda item. He said that the Chairman's report captured the status of the negotiations in a balanced manner, including his sense of how Members could exert more efforts to achieve an outcome. He believed that the guiding principles could serve as a reference for their future work. In particular, his delegation fully agreed with the first principle that the objective and purpose of the register was not to increase the level of protection. He also wished to highlight that the third guiding principle, namely the preservation of the territorial nature of intellectual property rights, was important for Members' joint undertaking in the future. His delegation believed that the continuation of the current exercise would be meaningful and constructive and Korea would continue to cooperate very closely with the Chair's successor in the future.
