SEOUL — Over the past five years, Chanel has emerged as the most counterfeited luxury brand in South Korea’s online marketplaces, according to a recent report highlighting a surge in fake goods. The data, compiled by the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency, reveals a 16% annual increase in the seizure of counterfeit products from 2020 to 2024.

The findings, presented on May 2 by Rep. Oh Se-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly’s Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee, underscore the growing challenge of curbing illicit trade in e-commerce. The agency’s remote monitoring team identified counterfeit goods across 12 open marketplaces, two portal sites, and three social media platforms. Sellers often used deceptive keywords like “authentic-grade,” “mirror-grade,” “replica sales,” or “non-trademarked products” to market their wares.

The volume of seized counterfeit items has risen steadily: 126,542 cases in 2020, 171,606 in 2021, 181,131 in 2022, 198,853 in 2023, and 225,841 in 2024. Chanel led the list with 138,082 cases, followed by Louis Vuitton (101,621), Gucci (92,505), Christian Dior (46,621), Prada (40,759), Nike (38,329), Celine (28,419), Balenciaga (28,114), and Saint Laurent (20,768).

By product category, handbags topped the list with 309,420 cases, followed by clothing (234,894), footwear (139,326), accessories (67,848), wallets (47,682), and watches (41,624).

Despite the monitoring team’s efforts, Rep. Oh warned that the rapid pace of online distribution outstrips current enforcement capabilities. “The number of counterfeit seizures is rising, but it’s still insufficient to control the flow,” she said. Oh called for deploying advanced artificial intelligence to enhance detection and urged the Korean Intellectual Property Office’s trademark police to expand proactive investigations.

The report highlights the broader challenge facing luxury brands and regulators as counterfeiters exploit the anonymity and reach of digital platforms, prompting calls for stronger technological and legal measures to protect intellectual property.

team webdaily (2webdaily@gmail.com)