[Report] "Even Designers Can't Tell" Dongdaemun Knockoff Market Thrives Amid Golf Boom

Setting up tents late at night and thriving... From middle-aged to 2030 generation flocking
"Hundreds of thousands won items for just a few ten thousand won" A-grade fakes hard to distinguish from genuine
Golf boom leads to counterfeit detections soaring over 4 times in a year

At night, 'yellow tents' line up in Dongdaemun Saebit Market, where counterfeit goods are openly sold. Photo by Hee-Jun Jang junh@

[Asia Economy Reporters Jang Hee-jun and Byun Seon-jin] "The genuine product and even the stitching lines are exactly the same... Even the designer wouldn't be able to tell if they came to see this."

On the evening of the 28th of last month, around 9 p.m., along the south road of Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, dozens of yellow makeshift tents were lined up along a 200-meter stretch of sidewalk. This is the so-called counterfeit haven known as 'Saebit Market,' which comes alive at night. On the stalls, golf apparel from high-end brands such as Titleist, Malbon Golf, PXG, and G/FORE began to pile up one by one. Of course, these were not genuine products but counterfeits, so-called 'jjaktung' (knockoffs).

By around 11 p.m., the street started to bustle with customers. There were about five tents mainly dealing in counterfeit golf wear at Saebit Market. Each cramped tent of about 20 square meters was crowded with dozens of people. The customer base included not only middle-aged couples but also a significant number of young couples.

"If you buy one genuine product, you match the rest with A-grade ones"

Clothing from Malbon Golf sold at Dongdaemun Saebit Market. Photo by Heejun Jang junh@

The most popular brand in this area was 'Titleist,' and the recently trending brand was 'Malbon Golf' apparel.

Especially, counterfeit versions of Malbon Golf's fall new products were popular among female customers. The items ranged from knit vests, sweatshirts, windbreakers, golf bags, to hats. Prices were around 60,000 to 70,000 KRW for long-sleeve T-shirts, which is less than half the price of genuine products. Some stalls offered short-sleeve T-shirts for 35,000 KRW, with a 'generous discount' of 60,000 KRW for two pieces.

One vendor said, "They look good enough to wear as everyday clothes," adding detailed explanations that "they can be mixed and matched regardless of gender." The product recommended to the reporter was a nylon jacket with a hood. The genuine retail price is 400,000 KRW, but it could be purchased for only 100,000 KRW. When the reporter hesitated, the vendor said, "I'll add a short-sleeve T-shirt and make it 120,000 KRW."

At another tent, only four pieces of clothing were displayed on the stall. When asked, "Is this all?" the merchant standing in front of a Starex vehicle complained, "We recently got caught badly in a crackdown, so we can't display everything and sell." When the reporter showed a photo of a genuine Titleist T-shirt on his phone, the merchant brightened up, saying, "We happen to have some of those items we just got," and added, "The goods will arrive around midnight, so go have a bowl of noodles and come back."

Counterfeit Market Growing Alongside Golf's Popularity

Many people are gathered at a tent in Dongdaemun Saebit Market selling counterfeit golf wear. Photo by Byun Seon-jin sj@

As golf's popularity soars, the related apparel market size exceeded 6 trillion KRW last year. The problem is that the counterfeit market is rapidly expanding by taking advantage of this gap. Industry insiders estimate that the counterfeit golf wear market has surpassed 100 billion KRW. The number of counterfeit products seized by customs has also been confirmed to increase significantly every year.

In fact, the number of counterfeit Titleist golf wear items seized by customs rose from 632 in 2020 to 1,479 in 2021, more than doubling. This year, up to July, 935 items were seized through brand-led crackdowns and 163 through customs enforcement. Expanding the category to include clubs and all products, the number of counterfeit Titleist items caught by customs surged from 17,064 in 2020 to 73,232 in 2021.

Because of this, Acushnet, which produces Titleist apparel, is directly conducting crackdowns. Employees verify counterfeit status on-site and then request investigations from the Korean Intellectual Property Office or the police. Typically, prosecutions are carried out by investigative agencies and cases are brought to criminal court, but the brand also sometimes pursues civil lawsuits for damages.

PXG Apparel conducts its own crackdowns only on online counterfeit sellers and receives consumer reports about street vendors through its website.

Malbon Golf, which has recently gained popularity, is also striving to prepare countermeasures. A Malbon Golf representative explained, "We have identified that counterfeit listings began appearing last year," adding, "We plan to continuously monitor the market and prepare detailed countermeasures."

"Because Genuine Products Are Too Expensive"…High-Price Policies Fueling Counterfeit Boom

Many people are gathered at a tent in Dongdaemun Saebit Market selling counterfeit golf wear. Photo by Byun Seon-jin sj@

One reason behind the thriving counterfeit market is the industry's excessively high pricing policies. Since prices are high but utility is low, consumers turn their attention to the counterfeit market.

In reality, even golf apparel items considered relatively affordable, such as T-shirts, start at tens of thousands of KRW. PXG Apparel's white short-sleeve T-shirt is sold at department stores for 339,000 KRW. G/FORE's navy T-shirt retails at 470,000 KRW, and Mark & Lona's product is 498,000 KRW. Recently, Hansome launched 'Lanvin Blanc' in partnership with luxury brand Lanvin, where a single T-shirt costs between 500,000 and 600,000 KRW.

An apparel industry insider said, "Even when making the same clothes, golf wear tends to have a higher margin relative to cost," adding, "The fact that nearly 60 golf wear brands were introduced domestically last year proves this." He added, "Since golf has a flashy image, the industry atmosphere is reluctant to lower already high prices."

Given this situation, it is analyzed that the 'luxury display desire' that emerged during the pandemic has been fully transferred to golf wear.

Professor Kim Min-jung of Keimyung University's Department of Consumer Studies said, "As the 20s and 30s generation enter golf, there is a strong tendency to use apparel more for display than practicality," pointing out, "Given the high price range of golf wear, the counterfeit market inevitably grows alongside."

Professor Heo Kyung-ok of Sungshin Women's University's Department of Consumer Studies predicted, "Unlike luxury goods that can be easily worn in daily life, golf wear is only worn when going out for rounds, making it easier to fall into the temptation of counterfeits," adding, "Especially, the perception that these are counterfeits is relatively low compared to luxury goods, so the counterfeit market is expected to expand further."

Golf wear from famous brands such as Titleist, PXG, and Malbon Golf sold at Dongdaemun Saebit Market. Photo by Heejun Jang junh@