K-brands gain new shield against overseas counterfeits

Korea is launching a joint crackdown against overseas knockoffs and trademark theft to protect small businesses expanding abroad. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korean Intellectual Property Office will set up a joint council, with its inaugural meeting held Friday at Government Complex Daejeon. The agencies will link export support with intellectual property protection and use overseas centers to share infringement cases and respond faster.

The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency operates 22 Global Business Centers in 14 countries.

The Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency operates 10 overseas intellectual property centers supporting businesses in 40 countries.

The agencies plan joint educational programs and briefings on overseas intellectual property protection and dispute response.

The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency and the Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding.

Published Oct 2, 2026 11:18 am KST

Trade authorities unite to build IP safety net and protect businesses

Instant noodle products are displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul / Yonhap

As global demand for K-beauty, K-food and K-fashion soars, Korea is launching a joint government crackdown to protect small businesses from overseas knockoffs and trademark theft.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korean Intellectual Property Office said Friday they will launch a joint council to share cases of trademark and design infringement and coordinate support for small businesses expanding overseas.

The council held its inaugural meeting Friday afternoon at Government Complex Daejeon, bringing together the ministry, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Korean Intellectual Property Office and Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency.

The agencies said they will use overseas centers operated by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency and overseas intellectual property centers operated by the Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency to share information and respond to cases involving unauthorized trademark registrations, counterfeits and other infringements.

The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency operates 22 Global Business Centers in 14 countries, while the Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency operates 10 overseas intellectual property centers supporting businesses in 40 countries, according to the ministry.

Officials said the agencies will also connect export support programs with intellectual property protection services so businesses receiving help with overseas expansion can obtain protection assistance at the same time.

The move comes in response to reports of counterfeit K-beauty products flooding major online platforms like Amazon and TikTok Shop, including fake versions of Beauty of Joseon’s viral Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics sunscreen. According to the ministry, these knockoffs, alongside pervasive trademark squatting targeting hit exports like Samyang’s Buldak instant noodles, have made proactive enforcement an urgent economic priority.

"Counterfeiting or imitating K-brands goes beyond economic losses; it poses a grave threat to a company's survival by severely damaging its corporate and brand image," said Shim Jae-yoon, director general for global growth policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. "We will further strengthen inter-agency collaboration to minimize intellectual property damage faced by our small and medium-sized enterprises during the export process."

Park Jin-hwan, director general for intellectual property dispute response at the Intellectual Property Protection Agency, emphasized proactive support.

"The key is to offer preventive support so that brands built through the hard work of small businesses are not unexpectedly damaged by unauthorized trademark squatting or counterfeit goods when expanding overseas," Park said. "By closely linking the Ministry's export support infrastructure with the Agency's dispute response system, we will work to build an IP safety net that enables our small and medium-sized enterprises to grow abroad with confidence."

The agencies also plan joint educational programs and briefings on overseas intellectual property protection and dispute response, with the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency and Korean Intellectual Property Protection Agency expected to sign a memorandum of understanding.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

韩国正联合打击海外仿冒品和商标盗窃行为，以保护拓展海外市场的中小企业。中小企业和创业部与韩国知识产权局将成立联合委员会，并于周五在韩国大田政府大楼举行首次会议。该委员会将把出口支持与知识产权保护相结合，并利用海外中心共享侵权案件信息，从而更快地做出反应。

韩国中小企业和创业机构在14个国家运营着22个全球商业中心。

韩国知识产权保护局运营着 10 个海外知识产权中心，为 40 个国家的企业提供支持。

各机构计划联合举办关于海外知识产权保护和争端应对的教育项目和简报会。

韩国中小企业和创业局与韩国知识产权保护局预计将签署一份谅解备忘录。

发布于2026年10月2日上午11:18（韩国标准时间）

贸易机构联合起来构建知识产权安全网，保护企业权益。

首尔一家大型超市展示着方便面产品 / 韩联社

随着全球对韩妆、韩餐和韩式时尚的需求飙升，韩国政府发起联合打击行动，以保护小型企业免受海外仿冒品和商标盗窃的侵害。

韩国中小企业和创业部以及韩国知识产权局周五表示，他们将成立一个联合委员会，分享商标和外观设计侵权案例，并协调对向海外扩张的小企业的支持。

该委员会于周五下午在大田政府大楼举行了首次会议，出席会议的有韩国产业通商资源部、韩国中小企业和创业振兴院、韩国知识产权局和韩国知识产权保护院。

这些机构表示，他们将利用韩国中小企业和创业振兴院运营的海外中心以及韩国知识产权保护院运营的海外知识产权中心，共享信息并应对涉及未经授权的商标注册、假冒和其他侵权行为的案件。

据韩国经济部称，韩国中小企业和创业振兴院在 14 个国家运营着 22 个全球商业中心，而韩国知识产权保护院则运营着 10 个海外知识产权中心，为 40 个国家的企业提供支持。

官员们表示，这些机构还将把出口支持计划与知识产权保护服务对接起来，以便获得海外扩张帮助的企业能够同时获得保护援助。

此举旨在应对有关假冒韩妆产品充斥亚马逊和TikTok Shop等主流电商平台的报道，其中包括假冒的Beauty of Joseon爆款产品“Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics”防晒霜。据该部门称，这些假冒产品，以及针对热门出口产品（如三养火鸡方便面）的普遍商标抢注现象，使得积极执法成为一项紧迫的经济要务。

“仿冒韩国品牌造成的损失远不止经济损失；它会严重损害企业的形象和品牌，对企业的生存构成严重威胁，”中小企业和创业部全球增长政策司司长沈在允表示。“我们将进一步加强跨部门合作，最大限度地减少中小企业在出口过程中面临的知识产权损害。”

知识产权保护院知识产权纠纷应对总局局长朴镇焕强调了积极主动的支持。

朴女士表示：“关键在于提供预防性支持，避免小企业辛勤打造的​​品牌在海外扩张时因未经授权的商标抢注或假冒商品而遭受意外损害。我们将把商务部的出口支持体系与知识产权局的争议解决机制紧密对接，努力构建知识产权安全网，使中小企业能够充满信心地拓展海外市场。”

双方还计划开展关于海外知识产权保护和争端应对的联合教育项目和简报会，韩国中小企业和创业局与韩国知识产权保护局预计将签署谅解备忘录。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。