The Korean Intellectual Property Office's special trademark police conducted a crackdown on three business sites in Gyeonggi Province that distributed counterfeit automotive parts and clips that disable warnings for unfastened seatbelts, seizing 7,786 counterfeit automotive parts (13 tons) and 19,995 seatbelt clips, and reported five individuals, including Mr. A (male, 72 years old), for trademark law violations on the 29th.
According to the trademark police, they detected the distribution of counterfeit automotive parts and seatbelt clips that threaten the lives and bodies of passengers, causing traffic accidents, and launched an investigation early last year. After securing evidence through a concentrated investigation lasting about nine months, they conducted a search and seizure on the business sites operated by the suspects, confirming the sale of counterfeit products.
According to the trademark police, Mr. A, Mr. B (male, 65 years old), and Mr. C (male, 60 years old) were found to have primarily distributed counterfeit automotive parts overseas from 2019 until September of last year. Mr. A has previously been caught by the trademark police for distributing counterfeit automotive parts in 2023. It has been confirmed that he has four prior offenses for trademark law violations.
The counterfeit automotive parts seized from them included over 38 types such as ABS sensors, damper pulleys, and brake hoses, totaling 7,786 items (with a retail value of about 700 million won). These counterfeit automotive parts are either defective components that were discarded during the production process or unauthorized parts obtained from manufacturing companies, meaning they haven't undergone proper safety inspections; therefore, the circulation of these parts raises concerns about potential automotive safety accidents.
In addition, the trademark police cracked down on individuals Mr. D (male, 31 years old) and Ms. E (female, 57 years old) for distributing imported seatbelt clips in Korea from 2023 to September 2024. They seized a total of 19,995 seatbelt clips from these individuals. Furthermore, according to their sales records, it was revealed they sold a total of 15,527 items (about 200 million won) over the past two years. They had been caught by customs three times during the import process and were denied clearance, and while they submitted a 'trademark infringement prohibition agreement' to the trademark owner, they were found to have continued their illegal activities.
Seatbelt clips for automobiles are products that the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) recommended ceasing sales of in 2017 as they fall under the category of 'safety performance degrading products' that encourage unfastened seatbelt usage. As these issues have been persistently raised, a bill was proposed in the National Assembly in May 2021 to ban the manufacturing, distribution, or sale of 'safety performance degrading products' that impair the essential performance of structures and devices needed for safe driving.
Shin Sang-gon, director of the Korean Intellectual Property Office's Industrial Property Protection Cooperation Division, noted, "Counterfeit automotive parts are likely to cause abnormalities in vehicles or lead to accidents due to poor quality, posing a significant threat to passenger safety," and added, "The trademark police plan to focus their investigative efforts on everyday products that threaten public health and safety."