Counterfeits from Chinese online shopping malls surpass 5,500

(Lee Seung-hwan)

More than 5,500 counterfeit items have been found on Chinese e-commerce platforms this year, data showed on Thursday.

According to data obtained by Representative Kim Dong-ah of the Democratic Party from the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Thursday, the number of counterfeit items found on online platforms reached 191,767 over the past three years as of August 2024.

Estimated damage to domestic companies reached 11.4 billion won ($8.6 million).

Chinese platforms AliExpress and Temu were found to have 5,531 counterfeit items, data showed. The number of fake items sold was higher than those of Korean platforms such as Coupang (1,276 items), 11Street Co. (714 items), and Gmarket (2,032 items).

Representative Kim said counterfeit sales on Chinese platforms could pose a threat to consumers and small businesses in Korea and called for stronger protective measures.