Korea Customs Service seizes over 4 million counterfeit goods in two‑month crackdown
The Korea Customs Service carried out a special intellectual‑property‑infringement enforcement from 4 May to 30 June 2024. During the operation customs identified 45,2927 counterfeit items at the clearance stage, bringing the total number of seized counterfeit goods to roughly 4.1 million items. The seized items were valued at about 1.53 trillion Korean won, a 2.5‑fold increase over the same period the previous year.
Fourteen IP‑infringement crimes were investigated, resulting in the detection of 3.65 million counterfeit items. Toys and stationery accounted for the largest share at 41.7 % of the seized goods. Foreign‑brand counterfeit items made up 99 % of the haul, while Korean‑brand items comprised only 1 %. The crackdown targeted imports through overseas direct purchases and illegal online sales via live streams and social media platforms.
Customs officials highlighted the threat to domestic manufacturers and consumer safety, and pledged continued joint actions with foreign customs and investigative agencies to dismantle overseas production and distribution networks.
Entities: Choi Moon‑gi · Korea Customs Service · K‑brand (Korean brands) · Lee Jong-wook · Park Heon · South Korea
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Investigations uncovered about 3.65 million counterfeit items, bringing the total to roughly 4.1 million items seized. (Overall seizure total.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The seized counterfeit goods were valued at about 1.53 trillion Korean won. (Monetary value.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Fourteen intellectual‑property‑infringement crimes were investigated during the crackdown. (Criminal investigations.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Toys and stationery comprised 41.7 % of the seized counterfeit items, the largest category. (Category breakdown.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Foreign‑brand counterfeit items accounted for 99 % of the seized goods, while Korean‑brand items made up 1 %. (Brand origin share.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Customs identified 45,2927 counterfeit items at the clearance stage during the enforcement period. (Clearance‑stage detections.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Korea Customs Service conducted a special intellectual‑property‑infringement enforcement from 4 May to 30 June 2024. (Special enforcement period (5 May–30 June 2024).)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The amount seized was 2.5 times higher than the same period the previous year. (Year‑on‑year increase.)