Government and Industry Join Forces to Combat 'Fake K-Beauty' Products

As the global "K-Beauty" craze has led to a series of issues involving counterfeit Korean cosmetics, the government and the industry have launched a joint response.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, along with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the Korea Customs Service, and the Korea Cosmetic Association, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to combat counterfeit cosmetics at the Intellectual Property Center in Gangnam-gu yesterday (June 16).

A government official stated, "We arranged this agreement to establish an organic joint response system between relevant ministries and the industry regarding the issue of counterfeit cosmetics that are piggybacking on the global growth of K-Beauty."

Last year, South Korea's cosmetics exports reached $11.4 billion, marking an all-time high.

With this, South Korea has risen to become the world's second-largest cosmetics exporter, following France.

However, as K-Beauty elevates its status in the global market, the damage caused by counterfeit goods is also on the rise.

According to a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the scale of counterfeit goods infringing on the intellectual property rights of South Korean companies reached $9.7 billion, or approximately 14.6 trillion won, as of 2024.

Of this, cosmetics accounted for 10% based on customs seizure value, ranking third after electronic products and textiles/clothing.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.