The sound of playing "Missing Machine" in the middle of the night... Suspicious Neighborhood Restaurant Arrested Many Fake Groups

YTN Radio (FM 94.5) [YTN News FM Wise Radio Life]

□ Broadcast date and time: December 17, 2024 (Tue)
□ Host: Announcer Park Gui-bin
□ Castor: Cho Sung-mi, Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police Agency Officer

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

◆ Announcer Park Gui-bin (hereinafter referred to as Park Gui-bin): A daily white book, today we are with Gyeonggi-do. A group of people who sold counterfeit products, also known as fake products that stole famous brands, were arrested by the Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police. Gyeonggi Province's special envoy announced the results of the investigation into the violation of the trademark law this year. For more information, let's call Cho Sung-mi, the officer in charge of the special investigation team 1 of the Gyeonggi-do Provincial Police Agency. How are you, sir?

◇ Cho Sung-mi, Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police Team Officer (hereinafter referred to as Cho Sung-mi): How are you? This is Cho Sung-mi, investigator of the Special Judicial Police Team 1 of Gyeonggi-do Provincial Government.

◆ Park Gui-bin: Please explain the background of the Gyeonggi-do Special Envoy's investigation into trademark infringement.

◇ Cho Sung-mi: The infringement of trademark rights damages domestic "genuine" sellers and consumers, while the use of counterfeit products with poor quality can threaten the health and safety of residents due to harmful substances. In particular, wearing and using clothes, perfumes, and accessories that directly touch the body is very harmful to health, and even more so, children with weak immune systems can have serious side effects on the human body. The Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Agency conducted an investigation into violations of the trademark law to preemptively prevent mental and physical damage to residents due to the shrinking of domestic brands and related distribution industries and the use of unverified products such as harmful substances.

◆ Park Gui-bin: What was the investigation period for trademark law violations in 2024 and the results of the investigation?

◇ Cho Sung-mi: We searched 124 businesses in the province for nine months from February 15, 2024, cracked down on 14 businesses that store and sell counterfeit goods in various ways, booked 15 suspects, and confiscated 6,158 counterfeit goods worth 2.3 billion won. The main confiscated items were Chanel, Malbon, Gucci and Nike, with a total of 20 famous brand products, with 4,841 clothes, 233 perfumes and sunglasses, and 1,084 bags, shoes, belts and accessories.

◆ Park Gui-bin: What are the punishment regulations for violations of the trademark law?

◇ Cho Sung-mi: Violation of Article 108 (violation of trademark rights or exclusive use rights) of the Trademark Act, such as using the same trademark as another person's registered trademark for a product similar to the designated product, will result in imprisonment for not more than seven years or a fine of not more than 100 million won pursuant to Article 230 of the same Act.

◆ Park Gui-bin: What were the main methods of trademark law violations?

◇ Cho Sung-mi: Examples of illegal activities include distributing and selling a large number of counterfeit products that stole famous trademarks such as Chanel and Burberry to an unspecified number of people in large warehouses. Selling golf products that stole famous trademarks such as Malbon and Titleist at online second-hand clients to avoid investigation. Using dedicated printing machines and sewing machines at warehouses near restaurants and cafes, fake products were directly produced and distributed by printing or attaching labels to unbranded general clothes or hats. There have been cases of being caught while selling counterfeit products while operating a women's clothing store and a luxury clothing repair shop in a commercial building.

◆ Park Gwi-bin: Please say the last word.

◇ Cho Sung-mi: The Gyeonggi-do Special Law and Justice Police will continue to strongly investigate fake sellers in order to establish a fair distribution order in our society and to create a safe consumption environment for the residents. In order to more effectively cope with trademark law violations that are getting more sophisticated day by day, in 2025, we will strive for more efficient investigation of trademark law violations by tracking systematic public offering relationships through linkage analysis between smugglers and sellers and distributors, along with existing online and offline investigations. Thank you.

◆ Park Gui-bin: So far, I have been Cho Sung-mi, the officer in charge of the Special Judicial Police Team 1 of the Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police.