"They Really Look Identical"—Ministry of Intellectual Property Opens Counterfeit Product Exhibition Spaces in Seoul and Daejeon

[Financial News] Exhibition spaces will open in Seoul and Daejeon where visitors can directly compare authentic and counterfeit cosmetics, shoes and other products commonly encountered in everyday life.
The Ministry of Intellectual Property announced that it will open and begin operating “counterfeit product exhibition spaces” on the first floor of the Korea Intellectual Property Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and in the Civil Affairs Building of Government Complex Daejeon in Seo-gu, Daejeon, starting on the fourth. The exhibition space previously located on the first floor of Government Complex Daejeon was moved to the Civil Affairs Building to improve accessibility.
The exhibition was designed to inform the public about increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting methods and help them recognize the seriousness of counterfeit product distribution and the importance of protecting intellectual property rights.
The first exhibition in Seoul will display authentic products alongside “everyday counterfeit products,” including cosmetics and shoes seized during actual crackdowns. It will show how sophisticated counterfeit products have become—so much so that they are difficult to distinguish from authentic products—and explain that distributing counterfeits is an illegal act that not only infringes trademark rights but also disrupts a sound market order.
The Ministry of Intellectual Property plans to regularly replace and enhance the exhibition content to reflect trends in counterfeit product distribution and items of interest to consumers.
Kim Yong-sun, head of the Ministry of Intellectual Property, said, "With an additional exhibition space now available in Seoul, more people will be able to see the reality of counterfeit products firsthand." Kim added, "I hope this will serve as an opportunity for consumers to compare authentic and counterfeit products themselves and deepen their understanding of the importance of protecting intellectual property rights."
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter