- Criminal charge of 388 suspects, seizure of approximately 143,000 counterfeit items worth KRW 432.6 billion in genuine value. -

The Ministry of Intellectual Property, led by Minister Kim Yong-sun, announced that it has conducted comprehensive enforcement actions against trademark infringement and counterfeit goods distribution in 2025, resulting in the criminal charge of 388 trademark offenders and the seizure of approximately 143,000 counterfeit items, with an estimated genuine market value of KRW 432.6 billion.

The number of individuals charged with crimes has increased by 26% year-on-year to 388, while the genuine market value of seized goods surged 32-fold to KRW 432.6 billion. These results reflect strengthened enforcement efforts against counterfeit goods to protect intellectual property (IP) rights and safeguard consumer safety.

Notably, planned investigations targeting large-scale distribution networks yielded significant results. MOIP detected the single largest counterfeit luxury accessories distributor since the launch of the Trademark Police in 2010, leading to the seizure of approximately 39,000 items with a genuine value of KRW 340 billion in June 2025. In addition, targeted investigations led to the seizure of numerous counterfeit goods directly affecting public health (e.g., cosmetics, eyewear, etc.) and safety (e.g., automotive parts, electronic products, etc.), including approximately 46,000 cosmetic items worth KRW 2 billion in genuine value in May 2025, and approximately 23,000 automotive-part items worth KRW 250 million in genuine value in July 2025.

In addition, MOIP identified cases involving counterfeit K-pop merchandise, as sellers sought to exploit the growing global popularity of Korean pop culture. In August 2025, working jointly with trademark owners, authorities seized approximately 29,000 counterfeit merchandise items, worth KRW 500 million in genuine value.

Meanwhile, as counterfeit goods transactions increasingly shift to social networking services (SNS) such as Naver Band and Cafes, Instagram, and YouTube to evade detection, MOIP strengthened monitoring and enforcement activities on these online platforms. These efforts resulted in the criminal charge of 44 individuals and the seizure of 17,000 counterfeit items valued at KRW 12.7 billion.

Among these cases, particular attention was given to live-stream sales conducted on overseas platforms, where sellers briefly broadcast late at night and delete content immediately after sales to avoid enforcement. Through months-long monitoring, intelligence gathering, and undercover surveillance, authorities raided live broadcast sites and criminal charged 22 individuals involved in such schemes.

By product category, accessories accounted for the largest share of seized items by quantity at 27.5%, followed by cosmetics (7.4%) and apparel (6.7%). In terms of value, accessories overwhelmingly accounted for 87.6% of the total estimated retail value.[Attachment 1]

Through these recently emerging cases of large-scale seizure of counterfeit cosmetics, he growing threats to public health and safety have become more evident, including products such as perfumes, mask packs, and other items applied directly to the skin.

Director General Shin Sang-gon of the Intellectual Property Protection & International Cooperation Bureau at MOIP, stated, “The spread of counterfeit goods into products directly affecting public health and safety poses a serious threat to consumers.” He emphasized, “MOIP will continue to carry out intensive enforcement against high-risk counterfeit goods such as health functional foods and cosmetics, and will pursue strict law enforcement under a zero-tolerance policy.”

Source: https://www.kipo.go.kr/en/engBultnDetail.do?board_id=kiponews&cp=1&pg=1&npp=10&catmenu=ek06_01_01&seq=1821