[Anchor]
It has been revealed that large quantities of counterfeit Chinese cosmetics and health supplements were distributed through domestic online markets. Over 80,000 fake items were circulated as genuine products, with sales reaching 4.3 billion won. However, the Chinese manufacturers who actually produced the fakes managed to evade the investigation network.
Reporter Jo Yoon-ha has more.
[Reporter]
A logistics warehouse in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.
Famous overseas brand cosmetics pour out from stacked delivery boxes.
All of them are counterfeit.
[(This doesn't have Korean labeling either, right? That's right.) This is my first time seeing it too...]
The warehouse operator was found to have been distributing fake Chinese cosmetics and health supplements domestically since October 2024.
The volume totals some 83,000 items worth 4.3 billion won.
The method involved Chinese manufacturers opening open-market stores on Coupang and Naver, sending large quantities of counterfeit goods to the warehouse operator in advance, and then requesting that they be shipped out whenever orders came in.
If the manufacturers sent the items directly to buyers, it would take too long and require customs clearance. They chose this detour to avoid getting caught sending goods from China rather than through an official domestic importer.
From the product exterior to the packaging, they were so similar to genuine items that it was difficult to tell them apart with the naked eye. To make buyers believe they were authentic, they did not price them too cheaply, selling them at just a slight discount compared to genuine prices.
Testing showed that while the fake health supplements did not contain harmful substances, they also lacked any functional benefits at all.
However, because the counterfeit manufacturers are overseas, they slipped through the investigation network.
Due to the nature of mail-order sales, it is also difficult to hold intermediaries like Coupang and Naver accountable.
[Kim Jin-hwi / Head of the Central Investigation Team for Harmful Offenders at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety: (We are currently implementing measures such as) immediately deleting (them from the sites). However, we were unable to verify how many consumers and exactly who they were sold to, because the person who opened the open-market store resides in China.]
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urged consumers to use official sellers authenticated by brands or manufacturers when purchasing products through online open markets.
(Video Journalist: Kim Nam-sung, Video Editing: Lee Sang-min)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.