The Seoul City Civilian Judicial Police Department said on the 20th that it has filed criminal charges against two individuals for selling counterfeit goods to foreigners in the Myeongdong area over the past six years.
The Civilian Police also seized a total of 1,200 counterfeit items from these individuals. The seized items include 125 watches with counterfeit labels, 461 wallets, 434 bags, 47 pairs of earrings, 31 clothing items, 49 hats and scarves, and 53 pairs of shoes. The total value of the genuine items is estimated at 3.82 billion won.
According to reports, Mr. A, who operated the business, had registered the bank account and business name under another suspect, Mr. B, to prepare for investigations by the authorities. Mr. A had previously been caught five times for selling counterfeit goods in the Myeongdong area and was accused of violating trademark laws.
Mr. A's continued sale of counterfeit goods is attributed to the fact that the profits from sales amount to several hundred million won compared to the fines.
The amount of sales of counterfeit goods confirmed during this investigation over the past year is approximately 250 million won, with a net profit of around 150 million won. If this business has been operating for six years, it is estimated that he has gained illegal profits of several hundred million won, according to the Civilian Police.
The act of distributing, selling, and storing counterfeit goods can result in imprisonment for up to seven years or fines of up to 100 million won under trademark law.
The Seoul City government has recently stated that the sale of counterfeit goods is being conducted discreetly through social media or warehouses, urging citizens to actively report any findings. If individuals contribute to the public interest by reporting criminal acts along with decisive evidence, they could receive rewards of up to 200 million won.
Choi Won-seok, head of the Seoul City Civilian Judicial Police Department, noted, “Recently, there has been an increase in the sale of counterfeit goods targeting foreign tourists at major tourist sites in Seoul, such as Myeongdong and Dongdaemun.” He added, “This is a serious issue that disrupts market order and undermines the country's dignity, and we will conduct thorough investigations into violations of trademark laws.”