NewJeans·IVE Photocards for 1,000 Won?…Fake K-pop Products Overflowing on Ali

"China Profits from Selling Counterfeit Goods"
"Government Needs Active Response"

Counterfeit products of K-pop stars are being sold one after another on Chinese shopping applications (apps), sparking controversy. On the 7th, Professor Seokyungdeok from Sungshin Women's University stated, "If you search for K-pop stars like NewJeans and IVE on AliExpress, so-called counterfeit products are openly being sold, which is expected to cause a major controversy."

In fact, on AliExpress, idol photo cards of groups like NewJeans were being sold for $0.99, approximately 1,300 KRW. Various goods such as pendants ($1.48), keyrings ($1.89), and T-shirts ($3.17) were also being sold at ultra-low prices.

[Image source=Seokyungdeok, Professor at Sungshin Women's University Facebook·AliExpress]

Professor Seok pointed out, "At these prices, anyone can recognize that there has been no agreement with the K-POP stars' agencies regarding portrait rights and copyrights."

He continued, "Until now, China has normalized illegal downloading and 'pirate viewing' of popular K-dramas worldwide such as 'The Glory,' 'Squid Game,' and 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.' What's even more outrageous is that they have freely used the portrait rights of Hallyu stars appearing in these dramas and created counterfeit products to sell, turning it into their own profit structure."

[Image source=Seokyungdeok Sungshin Women's University Professor Facebook·AliExpress]

Finally, Professor Seok emphasized, "Our consumers must stay vigilant, and above all, active government measures are needed. We should not only focus on creating good content but also pay attention to building a system that can be protected worldwide."

China’s AliExpress and Temu’s Low-Price Offensive... China’s Share of Overseas Direct Purchases Hits Record High in Q1

Meanwhile, China’s share of overseas direct purchases (direct imports) reached an all-time high in the first quarter of this year. According to Statistics Korea, the amount of online overseas direct purchases in Q1 this year was 1.6476 trillion KRW, a 9.4% increase compared to the same period last year. This is the largest scale for any first quarter on record. By country, China accounted for 938.4 billion KRW, the United States 375.3 billion KRW, and the European Union (EU) 142.1 billion KRW.

China’s share of total direct purchases also rose from 40.5% in Q1 last year to 57% in Q1 this year, an increase of 16.5 percentage points. This is the largest share since related statistics have been compiled.

The sharp increase in China’s direct purchase amount is due to the growing market share of Chinese online shopping companies like AliExpress and Temu, which emphasize low-priced products. According to data released by IGAWorks Mobile Index, last month, the Chinese e-commerce app 'Temu' recorded 2,280,344 new installations domestically, the highest among all apps.

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