Prada, Gucci... Dongdaemun Saebit Market's 'Luxury Counterfeits' Persist... Crackdown Continues This Month

Patent Office and Investigation Cooperation Group Conduct 3rd Joint Crackdown
Seize 102 Counterfeit Products and Remove 14 Tents
Jung-gu, Seoul: "Firm Response to Restore Trust in Tourist Attractions"

The scene of counterfeit goods crackdown at Saebit Market. Provided by Jung-gu, Seoul.

The third crackdown of the year was conducted at Dongdaemun’s Saebit Market (also known as the Yellow Canopy), which is well known among domestic and international tourists as a ‘knockoff market.’ Jung-gu District Office in Seoul announced on the 24th that the ‘Counterfeit Goods Distribution Eradication Investigation Council,’ jointly formed by Seoul City, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and the Seoul Jungbu Police Station, carried out a joint raid late at night on the 12th, seizing 102 counterfeit items and dismantling 14 canopies without permits.

Saebit Market, located near Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station in Seoul, operates from night until dawn, where merchants set up about 100 yellow canopies to sell their goods. It is widely known among domestic and international tourists as a hotspot for counterfeit goods distribution.

The Counterfeit Goods Distribution Eradication Investigation Council was established in February this year to build a cooperative system for cracking down on counterfeit goods. It consists of four investigative agencies: the Korean Intellectual Property Office’s Trademark Police, Seoul City’s Civil Judicial Police, Jung-gu District Office’s Traditional Market and Special Judicial Police, and the Seoul Jungbu Police Station, along with the Jung-gu District Office’s street vendor department.

During the third crackdown, following those in March and May, 35 members of the investigation council seized 102 counterfeit items of famous brands from five yellow canopies and booked one individual without detention on charges of trademark law violation for selling counterfeit goods. Additionally, 14 yellow canopies selling clothing and other items without road occupancy permits were dismantled, during which merchants fiercely resisted.

Only street vendors authorized by the Jung-gu District Office are allowed to operate in Saebit Market. If a vendor is convicted of trademark infringement related to selling counterfeit goods and receives a fine or higher penalty, their permit can be revoked. To avoid being caught in on-site crackdowns, some street vendors operated their canopies without attaching permits, leading the Jung-gu District Office to dismantle those canopies.

Since April this year, Jung-gu has replaced the previously easy-to-remove hanging permits with canopy-attached permits to enhance the effectiveness of crackdowns by enabling identification of canopy owners during inspections. However, as enforcement intensified, resistance arose, including the installation of new canopies without permits or forcibly removing permits.

The district office plans to strengthen the investigation council’s crackdown efforts through firm measures such as continuous dismantling of canopies without permits. Furthermore, by reinforcing cooperation within the council, once a conviction is finalized, the results will be communicated to revoke the permits of the respective street vendors. A Jung-gu District Office official stated, “Through continuous crackdowns by the investigation council, we will prevent damage caused by counterfeit goods distribution and restore trust as a tourist attraction that visitors want to return to.”