"Still Frequent Despite Crackdowns? ... Tightening Control on Saebit Market Enforcement"

Despite frequent crackdowns, the trade of counterfeit goods at Saebit Market remained unchanged. It appears that a complacency, stemming from the assumption that the relentless crackdowns this year would eventually end, implicitly influenced the situation. However, the Patent Office and other authorities responsible for enforcement emphasized that the crackdowns targeting Saebit Market are not one-time events, and that more thorough and intensified enforcement activities will continue. They are strongly determined to leave no room for the distribution of counterfeit goods.

The Patent Office announced that the ‘Saebit Market Counterfeit Goods Investigation Council (hereafter, the Council)’ conducted a joint crackdown from the 24th to the 27th of last month, seizing 903 counterfeit items of famous brands and filing charges without detention against three individuals, including a 23-year-old seller A, for trademark law violations.

Boxes containing counterfeit products seized during the 5th joint crackdown at Saebit Market were lined up on display. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

The Council was launched in February this year with participation from the Patent Office, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Jung-gu District Office, and Seoul Jungbu Police Station. Considering the operational characteristics of Saebit Market, where over 100 tents operate closely together during nighttime hours, there was a shared recognition that individual crackdowns had limitations, which led to the formation of the Council.

Since its launch, the Council has continued crackdowns in five rounds during March, May, July, and twice in September.

In particular, last month, anticipating an increase in counterfeit goods sales around the Chuseok holiday, the participating agencies conducted relay-style crackdowns. The Jung-gu District Office carried out enforcement on the 3rd and 5th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 4th, and the Patent Office along with the Seoul Jungbu Police Station on the 6th, each on different days, consecutively targeting counterfeit goods. During this period (September 3?6), three individuals were charged and 1,534 counterfeit items were seized at Saebit Market.

However, even after the five consecutive crackdowns, the trade of counterfeit goods at Saebit Market persisted. Following the early September relay-style enforcement, the Council conducted a joint crackdown ahead of the upcoming bridge holidays (October 1 and 3, and China’s National Day from October 1 to 7), achieving results such as seizing counterfeit goods and apprehending sellers.

This recent crackdown was also conducted in a relay format. It began with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Jungbu Police Station on September 24, followed by the Jung-gu District Office on September 25, and the Patent Office on September 27.

Notably, the intensity of enforcement was further strengthened, including the execution of a search warrant on vehicles storing counterfeit goods behind yellow tents. The Council judged that cars belonging to yellow tent merchants illegally occupying the road were being used as warehouses for counterfeit goods, and thus obtained and executed search warrants on these vehicles in advance as part of the crackdown.

Previously, during joint crackdowns, enforcement was typically conducted without executing search warrants, resulting in suspects fleeing and unidentified perpetrators, so only counterfeit goods on the stalls were treated as lost property and seized.

During the fifth crackdown, centered on the Jung-gu District Office, unlicensed yellow tents selling counterfeit goods without permits were forcibly removed simultaneously.

The Council plans not only to seize counterfeit goods on stalls but also to ensure the arrest and criminal prosecution of counterfeit goods sellers. Additionally, they intend to confiscate all counterfeit goods being sold or stored by sellers, cancel permits for street vendors selling counterfeit goods, and enforce forced removals to enhance the effectiveness of the crackdowns.

Park Ju-yeon, head of the Trademark Special Judicial Police Division at the Patent Office, stated, “With five crackdowns conducted this year, some merchants have been complacent, believing that there will be no further enforcement and thus continuing to sell counterfeit goods. However, the Council plans to continuously strengthen on-site crackdowns until Dongdaemun Saebit Market is reborn as a counterfeit-free zone, and will also conduct planned investigations into manufacturing and distribution channels.”