Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Gov't to register state-certified trademarks worldwide to stop counterfeit cosmetics
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By Jhoo Dong-chan
Powered by viral social media trends and precise skin care routines, Korean cosmetics have transformed from a regional favorite into a multibillion-dollar global juggernaut. But as products from top brands flood medicine cabinets from East Asia to Western Europe, an increasingly sophisticated illicit market is following right behind, threatening both consumer safety and the industry’s reputation.
In response to the surge of counterfeit items surfacing across major e-commerce platforms like Amazon, eBay and TikTok Shop, Korean authorities are escalating an international crackdown to protect the integrity of the K-beauty industry. Rather than relying solely on traditional legal remedies, government agencies are building an aggressive, multi-layered defense network designed to track and intercept fake cosmetics before they reach consumers.
At the center of this initiative is the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI).
Specialized monitoring firms equipped with AI tracking tools are actively scouring global digital marketplaces to flag and take down illicit listings. The scale of the effort is vast: officials removed over 210,000 counterfeit items across all sectors in 2025 — including more than 36,000 beauty products alone — and intercepted another 20,000 fake cosmetics in the first half of 2026. To streamline enforcement, Korea has expanded formal partnerships with major e-commerce platforms from six in 2025 to nine this year, securing cooperation from marketplaces including Temu, TikTok Shop and Tokopedia.
Beyond digital surveillance, government officials said they are fortifying legal protections through structural policy changes.
“Starting this October, we will introduce a state-backed brand authentication system by registering government-certified trademarks across more than 70 countries, including Europe, China and the ASEAN region,” said an official at the Ministry of Intellectual Property. “This framework will allow us to directly request local governments and foreign authorities to conduct criminal investigations, carry out administrative searches and suspend customs clearance whenever counterfeit certified goods are detected.”
Utilizing a network of overseas intellectual property centers across eight countries and diplomatic channels, Korean authorities are formalizing crossborder enforcement protocols. The initiative underscores a broader effort by the government to treat the protection of its cosmetics industry as both a commercial and state priority.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.