Jung-gu... Patent Office, Seoul City, Seoul Jungbu Police Station Form Investigation Cooperation Body to Crack Down on Counterfeit Products at Saebit Market
217 Counterfeit Items of 3 Categories Seized in Special Raid on May 25, 4 Distributors Booked Without Detention, 5 Yellow Tents Removed
Distributors selling counterfeit products in the Saebit Market area of Dongdaemun, Seoul, have been caught.
The "Saebit Market Counterfeit Goods Investigation Council" conducted a surprise joint crackdown on the 25th of last month at Seoul Dongdaemun's Saebit Market (also known as the "Yellow Canopy") and seized 217 counterfeit luxury brand items.
Additionally, four wholesale and retail vendors, including Ms. A (female, 49), who sold these items, were booked without detention on charges of trademark law violations, and five unauthorized yellow canopies were confiscated.
The seized items included 24 brands such as Prada, Nike, and Gucci, covering three categories: clothing, hats, and sunglasses.
The quantity of seized goods, brands, and types of items decreased to about 25% compared to the first joint crackdown in March. This is seen as a noticeable reduction in overt sales activities due to the continuous crackdowns by the investigation council. (* First crackdown results: 854 items from 28 brands and 8 categories seized)
The second crackdown involved 35 people, including 25 investigators, 9 members from Jung-gu Construction Management Division, and 3 from the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency. They conducted a simultaneous surprise entry around 11 p.m. on a weekend night by lying in wait in different zones. Although the quantity of counterfeit goods has decreased, unauthorized canopies have newly appeared, and business hours frequently change to avoid detection.
Saebit Market is known as a "counterfeit market" among domestic and international tourists. About 100 yellow canopies are set up in front of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station and operate from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. the next day.
Meanwhile, the Investigation Council was formed in February by related agencies to crack down on counterfeit goods in Saebit Market. It consists of Jung-gu District Office (Mayor Kim Gil-seong), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (Acting Commissioner Kim Si-hyung), Seoul Metropolitan Government (Mayor Oh Se-hoon), and Seoul Jungbu Police Station (Chief Lee Yong-wook).
Until now, various investigative agencies such as the Intellectual Property Office's trademark police, Seoul's civil judicial police, Jung-gu District Office's special judicial police, and Seoul Jungbu Police Station have individually cracked down on counterfeit goods in Saebit Market. However, there were criticisms that these efforts were one-off and not very effective.
To eradicate the distribution and sale of counterfeit goods, four investigative agencies, including Jung-gu, gathered on February 26. They discussed specific enforcement directions such as forming the Saebit Market Counterfeit Goods Investigation Council, conducting joint crackdowns, linking investigation results to cancellation of street vendor permits, and continuing crackdowns until counterfeit goods are eradicated.
In Saebit Market, only street vendors authorized by the Jung-gu District Office can operate under permit conditions. If a vendor violates these conditions and is convicted of trademark infringement with a fine or higher penalty, their permit can be revoked. Permit conditions include revocation for repeated failure to display the permit, subleasing, or fines for trademark law violations.
Going forward, the Investigation Council plans to regularly investigate the number of installed canopies and the number of yellow canopies with permits in Saebit Market. If a street vendor is convicted of trademark infringement with a fine or higher penalty, the results will be reported to Jung-gu for permit cancellation. Unauthorized yellow canopies without permits will also be forcibly removed to enhance enforcement effectiveness.
A district official stated, "We will continue crackdowns until counterfeit goods are eradicated in Saebit Market and restore trust as a tourist attraction in the Dongdaemun area."
Meanwhile, since January this year, Jung-gu has formed the Jung-gu Tourism Improvement Task Force (TF) by gathering related departments. This is to create a tourist destination where visitors want to "stay longer" and "return again," in response to the increasing number of foreign tourists. Since then, the district has continued crackdowns on street vendor management, illegal counterfeit goods, illegal parking, overcharging, maintaining clean street environments, price tag enforcement, outdoor advertising maintenance, and designation of specific zones. Through 151 joint crackdowns, 8,217 counterfeit items have been seized, equivalent to 4 billion KRW in genuine market value.
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