A ringleader in his 30s who fled to Vietnam to evade a domestic crackdown, then set up a local sales network to distribute counterfeit goods, was extradited to Korea and detained after a joint international investigation.
The special judicial police for trademarks at the Ministry of Intellectual Property said it detained ringleader A, 32, on suspicion of violating the Trademark Act and booked without detention three others, including accomplice B, 42. Since its launch in 2010, this is the first time the trademark police have arrested overseas a suspect who fled abroad after selling counterfeit goods, through international cooperation such as an Interpol red notice, and extradited the person to Korea.
According to the trademark police, A left for Vietnam in May last year and is suspected of conspiring with YouTubers at home and abroad to sell counterfeit goods to Korean consumers via live broadcasts through May this year.
A was found to have supplied counterfeit goods and instructed three people, including YouTuber B, who had been active in Korea during the early period of the flight, on how to sell them. After the trademark police searched the accomplices' office in the Gyeonggi area in July last year, A was found to have recruited about 10 local YouTubers in Vietnam, formed a separate sales organization, and continued the scheme.
During the seller recruitment process, they touted local room and board and high earnings, and A was found to have conducted live broadcasts irregularly from overseas to evade investigative tracking.
In July last year, the trademark police searched the accomplices' office and seized about 8,000 counterfeit items, including bags and clothing. The estimated value at genuine prices is about 3.7 billion won.
After confirming that A had fled overseas, the trademark police worked with prosecutors, police, and Interpol to obtain an arrest warrant and proceeded with passport invalidation and an Interpol red notice. With cooperation from the Korean Embassy in Vietnam and Vietnamese investigators, they arrested A locally in May this year and extradited A to Korea on the 5th of last month. The trademark police are currently questioning A about how the counterfeit goods were supplied and sold, how sellers at home and abroad were managed, and whether there are additional accomplices.
Jeong Yeon-woo, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Intellectual Property, said, "This case is an example of tracking and detaining the ringleader of a counterfeit goods sales operation who fled overseas through international cooperation," adding, "We will continue to thoroughly track not only simple sellers but also suppliers of counterfeit goods and higher levels of the organization to block the distribution of counterfeit goods."