SEOUL — A significant majority of counterfeit goods seized in South Korea during the first half of this year came from China, according to recent data released by the Korea Customs Service.
According to Yonhap News Agency, approximately 85 percent of the counterfeit items confiscated by customs authorities were traced back to China, representing 78.1 billion won (US$68.6 million) out of a total 93.4 billion won (US$68.6 million) in fake goods uncovered from January to June. This pattern is consistent with the previous year, where 95.4 percent of counterfeit goods, valued at 354.1 billion won, also originated from China. Among the most frequently forged brands were luxury names such as Chanel, Goyard, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, with Chanel items alone accounting for over half of the total value of seized goods. The majority of these counterfeits were bags, making up nearly 70 percent of the total counterfeit value, followed by garments.