[Anchor]
A family that sold counterfeit luxury goods through social media was arrested by police early this year. Around 20 billion won worth of fake goods was seized, and large quantities of harmful substances such as methanol and lead were detected in them.
Reporter Hong Yeongjae has the details.
[Reporter]
A woman conducts a live broadcast on social media, advertising and selling luxury wallets at low prices.
[Person A / Social Media Broadcaster (Last February): Our place, you know, does Hermes well, considering the price. It's unconditionally in the authentic lineup, you know.]
However, police suddenly burst in while the broadcast is underway.
[Person A / Social Media Broadcaster (Last February): Hold on. Someone is here. (We are here to execute a search warrant.)]
The products sold during the broadcast were so-called knockoffs that merely copied the external appearance of luxury brands.
Police seized 7,300 counterfeit items worth 20 billion won based on retail prices, and the Korea Consumer Agency tested the safety of 34 of these products imitating famous cosmetics brands such as Chanel and Dior.
As a result, harmful substances exceeding safety standards were detected in 11 products, which accounts for 32% of the total.
Methanol was detected in six types of perfumes ranging from a minimum of 73.7% to a maximum of 96.9%, figures that exceeded the permitted limit by 368 to 484 times.
While genuine perfumes use ethanol, methanol was used despite its toxicity because its price is only 13% of ethanol's.
[Park Jun-yong / Team Leader, Hazard Management Team, Korea Consumer Agency: When absorbed into the body, methanol can cause vision loss, and prolonged exposure can lead to side effects such as central nervous system disorders.]
Some hand cream products were found to simultaneously contain CMIT and MIT, which are banned from use because they can cause allergic skin reactions as well as respiratory and eye irritation.
CMIT and lead components were also detected in lipsticks and body mists.
The Korea Consumer Agency advised that counterfeit cosmetics are highly likely to have lacked proper safety verification and hygiene management, urging consumers to immediately stop using and discard any products confirmed to be counterfeits since they come into direct contact with the skin.
(Video Editing: Lee Sang-min)
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