Cosmetics Most Counterfeited Products

Counterfeit facial masks confiscated by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

The number of counterfeit products spotted by the South Korean government over the last five years came to 9.20 million pieces. Cosmetics accounted for most of the fake products manufactured.

The number of counterfeit items confiscated by authorities from Jan. 1, 2015, to July 31, 2019, stood at 9,175,000 pieces, according to Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on Aug. 25. Their price tags added up to 298.50 billion won (US$244.99 million). KIPO booked 1,650 people for forgery.

By item, cosmetics, such as facial masks, showed the highest proportion with 788,298, followed by dietary supplements with 642,573.

KIPO is planning to hold a session to help consumers distinguish fake products from genuine ones at the Korea Intellectual Property Service Center on Aug. 28. A KIPO official said, “At the session, we will explain the current state of counterfeit product distribution and stress the importance of protecting intellectual property rights. We will also show how to spot fake products.”

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