Data from South Korea's customs authorities reveal that nearly 85% of counterfeit goods seized in the first half of this year originated from China, underscoring the persistent challenge posed by Chinese counterfeit products in the global market.
According to the Korea Customs Service (KCS), counterfeit goods worth 93.4 billion won ($68.6 million) were uncovered between January and June. Of this total, a staggering 83.6%, or 78.1 billion won, were traced back to China. This trend mirrors last year’s figures, where 95.4% of all counterfeit goods seized—valued at 354.1 billion won—also came from China.
The most frequently counterfeited brands included French luxury label Chanel, which topped the list with counterfeit items valued at 48.7 billion won, accounting for 52.1% of the total seized. Other luxury brands such as Goyard, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci were also heavily targeted. By category, bags were the most counterfeited items, representing nearly 70% of the total value, followed by garments at 21%.
Beyond counterfeit goods, South Korea has also raised alarms over the safety of products imported from China. In April, the KCS reported that high levels of carcinogenic chemicals were found in 38 children’s products available on Chinese e-commerce platforms like AliExpress and Temu.
The KCS analyzed 252 children’s products, including toys and accessories, and discovered that 27 of them contained phthalate plasticizers at levels up to 82 times above South Korea’s safety standards. Phthalates are banned in children's products due to their potential to cause cancer and other developmental issues.
Additionally, six of these products were found to have cadmium levels up to 3,026 times greater than permissible, and five contained dangerous levels of lead. Cadmium is classified as a Class 1 carcinogen, highlighting the serious health risks associated with these imports.
The data underscores the dual challenge South Korea faces in combating counterfeit goods and ensuring the safety of imported products, particularly from China. As the market for counterfeit luxury items remains robust, so do concerns over the potential health risks posed by imports of hazardous materials.
