Gyeonggi Province has apprehended vendors who sold counterfeit goods by illegally using trademarks of well-known overseas brands through social networking service (SNS) live broadcasts and other channels.
On July 1, the Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police Unit announced that it had booked nine vendors for violations of the Trademark Act in the first half of this year and had referred the related cases to the prosecution. A total of 4,520 counterfeit items were seized during this investigation, with an estimated retail value of 7.2 billion KRW based on genuine product prices.
The Special Judicial Police Unit has regarded the widespread distribution of counterfeit products throughout society as a serious crime. From January to June, the unit conducted intensive monitoring of social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube live broadcasts.
During this process, the authorities discovered a variety of counterfeit goods, including clothing, bags, watches, and sneakers, that illegally used the trademarks of genuine brands. Some of these items were so meticulously crafted that consumers could easily mistake them for authentic products, resulting in significant consumer harm.
According to the cases uncovered, an individual identified as A, who operated a warehouse-style store in Hanam City, was caught displaying and storing counterfeit accessories, bags, and wallets imitating luxury brands such as Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton for the purpose of sale. A large banner advertising a "foreign luxury goods public auction" was used to attract customers to the store.
Another individual, B, sold 232 types of counterfeit accessories and wallets imitating high-end brands such as Chanel and Rolex, worth approximately 236 million KRW, to an unspecified number of people via SNS real-time live broadcasts. Meanwhile, C was discovered secretly selling 1,823 types of clothing and hats, valued at 1.865 billion KRW at genuine prices, from a large warehouse connecting multiple offices.
Investigation Cases of Trademark Law Violations by the Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police Unit
D, who operated a golf apparel store, was also caught displaying 742 types of counterfeit golf apparel and accessories, worth around 380 million KRW, for sale by falsely claiming they were parallel-imported overseas products.
Most of the counterfeit items differed from genuine products in aspects such as joining and printing quality, finishing, and the placement and design of brand logos and labels. In addition, the items lacked tags that could verify authenticity, and the location or content of attached labels differed from genuine products. However, these differences were often subtle and not easily noticeable, deceiving consumers.
According to the Trademark Act, those who infringe trademark rights may face imprisonment for up to seven years or a fine of up to 100 million KRW.
Kiido Do, head of the Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police Unit, stated, "The distribution of counterfeit goods is not merely a copyright infringement but a serious crime that threatens consumer safety and the order of distribution." He added, "To establish a sound order, we will continue to conduct intensive investigations and block the distribution of counterfeit products."
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