41 Sellers and Distributors of Counterfeit Children's Products Arrested... 1,245 Counterfeit Items Seized Worth 550 Million Won

Minsheng Judicial Police Unit Conducts Intensive Crackdown on Internet Open Markets and Dongdaemun Large Shopping Centers in May Family Month
Focus on Investigations of Children's Products... Total 41 Arrested Including 25 Sellers of Counterfeit Children's Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit announced on the 3rd that it has apprehended 41 vendors who sold counterfeit products infringing on trademark rights at internet open markets and large shopping centers around Dongdaemun and Namdaemun.

A total of 1,245 counterfeit items were seized, which amount to an estimated 550.14 million KRW in genuine product value. The seized counterfeit items include 553 clothing items, 50 hats, 552 accessories, and 90 wallets and bags. There are allegations of counterfeiting involving 13 different trademarks.

The Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit focused their investigation ahead of May, known as Family Month, and Children's Day, when gift demand is expected to rise, resulting in the large-scale apprehension of vendors selling counterfeit children's products that appeal to children's hearts. Among the 41 apprehended, more than half?25?were vendors selling children's clothing and hats. The counterfeit children's products totaled 459 items.

The Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit has criminally charged all 41 individuals for violating trademark law by selling, distributing, or storing counterfeit products bearing forged logos of famous brands. Among them, 17 cases have been concluded and referred to the prosecution. The rest are currently under investigation.

The Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit conducted intensive investigations over three months until April. By monitoring purchase reviews posted on internet open markets, conducting on-site intelligence activities, and relying on citizen reports, they identified businesses operating covertly and found suspects involved in counterfeit product transactions, including sellers of counterfeit children's clothing. Under trademark law, distributing, selling, or storing counterfeit goods is punishable by up to seven years imprisonment or a fine of up to 100 million KRW.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government expects gift demand and transactions to concentrate in May, Family Month, and plans to actively crack down and investigate the sale of counterfeit children's products throughout the month. Considering the increase in non-face-to-face and online transactions due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, investigations will be conducted intensively both online and offline.

Citizens who discover counterfeit product vendors can report them through various channels such as the 120 Dasan Call Center, the smartphone app (Seoul Smart Complaint Report), visits, or mail. The Seoul Metropolitan Government offers rewards of up to 200 million KRW to citizens who report criminal activities with decisive evidence.

Meanwhile, Seoul introduced three major tips to help citizens avoid purchasing counterfeit products: ▲ Products with noticeably poor quality and significantly lower prices compared to genuine items ▲ Products whose labels do not correctly state the manufacturer, country of manufacture, or quality information ▲ Cases where customer purchase reviews frequently question the authenticity of the product, which require special caution.

Choi Han-cheol, Head of the Civil Investigation Division 1 of the Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit, said, “Ahead of Family Month, when many gifts are purchased for children and parents, Seoul conducted intensive crackdowns and apprehended numerous vendors selling counterfeit products imitating famous brands. We will continue to actively crack down on distributors and sellers of counterfeit products.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.