Counterfeit Aestura soothing cream purchased on Coupang. Compared with the genuine product, the counterfeit has a different shade of blue and typeface on the packaging, with Chinese writing on the back, in the images provided by a reader.JOONGANG ILBO
Counterfeit Korean products have reached alarming levels as counterfeiters seek to capitalize on the global popularity of Korean culture and brands.
Kim Cho-hee, who is self-employed, bought five containers of soothing cream from the well-known Korean brand Aestura on the local e-commerce platform Coupang in June, only to receive counterfeit products.
When she compared them with the genuine product she had bought five months earlier, she found Chinese writing on the back, while the color of the containers and the typeface were also different.
“When I went back to the website to check the product, the seller was already gone,” Kim said. “I got a refund, but I never imagined counterfeit products of a Korean brand would be openly sold on a major Korean platform.”
The tactic was subtle. When a shopper selects a single item, it appears as, say, “Aestura cream.” But when they select a heavily discounted multipack, the product name changes to something different, such as “Blue 365 Cream.” Aestura is known for its blue containers.
The number of alleged imitators is significantly increasing.
Suspected cases of unauthorized overseas trademark registrations surged two-and-a-half-fold from 4,045 in 2023 to 10,020 last year, according to the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency on Tuesday. The number of counterfeit products blocked from online shopping platforms worldwide also rose from 160,000 in 2023 to 210,000 last year.
Where once counterfeits were concentrated in electronics and fashion, they have recently spread to K-beauty.
Singapore's Health Sciences Authority recently ordered the recall of a product sold as “Medicube Pink Collagen Capsule Cream” after a cancer-causing substance was detected.
Clockwise from top left: Counterfeit Buldak instant noodles; An image released by FugenBio to help consumers distinguish genuine cepoLAB products from counterfeits; OnlyYoung, a copycat Olive Young store in China.SCREEN CAPTURE
APR, the manufacturer of the genuine product, determined that the product was counterfeit. FugenBio, the manufacturer of the skincare brand cepoLAB, has released photos showing consumers how to distinguish genuine products from counterfeits amid a surge in fakes.
In China, a store called OnlyYoung emerged using a logo and sign colors resembling those of Korean health and beauty retailer Olive Young. In Vietnam, stores have appeared using the names of Korean fashion platforms Musinsa and 29CM without authorization.
Food manufacturer Samyang, well known for its Buldak products, won a trademark infringement lawsuit against a Chinese company in 2023, but counterfeit Buldak instant noodles continue popping up.
Even K-pop is not immune: Production powerhouse HYBE also filed a lawsuit this year against sellers after counterfeit BTS merchandise was found for sale on Chinese shopping platforms.
The sharp rise in counterfeits over the past two years has been fueled by the shift to online distribution and the misuse of AI.
Unlike offline counterfeiters, who are easier to catch at physical locations, online sellers scrape product pages for genuine goods without permission, then use generative AI to mass-produce and distribute multilingual product descriptions, fake customer reviews and promotional videos. They then sell products in small quantities through social media and YouTube broadcasts to evade enforcement.
A Ministry of Intellectual Property staff member holds up authentic and counterfeit packages of Buldak Original ramyeon at the Government Complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 31.YONHAP
The Trademark Police Division under the Ministry of Intellectual Property arrested the head of a Vietnam-based operation on Tuesday for allegedly distributing some 3 billion won ($2.2 million) worth of counterfeit goods using such methods.
The problem is particularly serious for small and independent brands that lack dedicated legal teams or budgets to fight counterfeits.
“When warnings about counterfeit products start circulating on online parenting communities or social media, consumers sometimes give up on buying the brand altogether, but there's little we can do about it,” a beauty industry source said.
Counterfeit cosmetics are particularly concerning because products applied directly to the skin can pose a direct threat to health and safety.
The global trade in Korean brand counterfeits reached an estimated 11 trillion won annually as of 2024, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The resulting direct sales losses for Korean companies are estimated at 7 trillion won, along with the loss of about 14,000 jobs.
“K-brand counterfeits can undermine trust in growing small and midsize Korean brands and threaten their export competitiveness,” said Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer science at Inha University. “Measures are needed to address online platforms that distribute counterfeit goods.”
The Intellectual Property Ministry opened a reporting center for counterfeit goods in July and will introduce a government certification system for Korean brands in October to support overseas enforcement and the suspension of customs clearance for counterfeit goods.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
