InterviewCustoms officer stands out in landmark crackdown on fake K-beauty products

Byun Chae-eun, a Korea Customs Service (KCS) officer, inspects a suspected counterfeit Korean cosmetic product shipped from overseas via express cargo at Incheon International Airport, Monday. Courtesy of Incheon Airport Regional Customs

Byun Chae-eun, 28, a fourth-year officer at the Korea Customs Service (KCS), has distinguished herself in the fight against counterfeit Korean cosmetics, helping to safeguard the global reputation of K-beauty.

She played a key role in a landmark crackdown, uncovering 22,339 fake Korean skin care items sent from China to Korea via express cargo, including imitations of popular brands such as Sulwhasoo, KAHI and d’Alba.

The operation was carried out by KCS’ Incheon Airport Regional Customs from June to November at Korea’s main gateway, which handles over 60 percent of imported express cargo.

This shipping method has been increasingly exploited to bring knockoffs of popular Korean brands into the country, with counterfeit products slipping into domestic health and beauty stores or being resold overseas.

Byun Chae-eun, a Korea Customs Service (KCS) officer, speaks during an Incheon Airport Regional Customs team meeting, Monday. Courtesy of Incheon Airport Regional Customs

“I feel proud that my work has contributed, even in a small way, to enhancing global trust in K-beauty,” Byun said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “At the same time, it is rewarding to realize that doing my best in my role helps protect our domestic industries.”

The crackdown began less than six months after she had joined a customs team responsible for safeguarding intellectual property rights.

“The job was demanding,” she said, noting that her team inspected more than 30,000 suspected high-risk shipments.

Despite the challenge, they achieved an impressive 86 percent success rate in detecting counterfeit items.

Byun explained that KCS has been paying greater attention to fake cosmetics, whereas in the past counterfeit goods were mostly limited to luxury brand bags or clothing.

The operation was prompted by the discovery of a large number of counterfeit midrange cosmetics from Korean brands commonly sold in domestic drugstores.

Byun emphasized that preventing low-quality counterfeit products from being sold domestically or overseas is especially crucial, as such items can be mistaken for genuine products while containing untested and potentially harmful ingredients.

“Since cosmetics are applied directly to the body, counterfeit products with unknown ingredients are particularly dangerous. For that reason, I focus my efforts on analysis and inspections to detect as many counterfeit cosmetics as possible,” she said.

Byun has stood out since her first year at KCS in 2022, earning the top rookie award for a major drug seizure while working in traveler customs.

With guidance from senior officers on spotting high-risk travelers, she intercepted a passenger carrying illegal drugs — synthetic cannabis and MDMA — in their carry-on luggage.

“I attribute this achievement to my colleagues and the support of my supervisors, which made this outcome possible,” Byun said.