“New Jeans Poka costs 1,000 won” China is being criticized for making counterfeits with K-content

When searching for K-pop stars such as New Jeans and Ive on Chinese e-commerce platform A, so-called counterfeit products are being sold, so a big controversy is expected.

Seo Gyeong-deok, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, reported this situation on the 7th and said, "Recently, many K-pop fans at home and abroad have made common reports, and upon checking, many products were being sold as counterfeit products."

In relation to this, Professor Seo pointed out that the prices of goods such as New Jeans and Ive are sold for photo cards (USD 0.99), pendants (USD 1.48), key rings (USD 1.89), and T-shirts (USD 3.17), and said, "This price is “If this is the case, everyone can recognize that there has been no agreement on image rights and copyrights with the K-pop stars’ agencies.”

He continued by pointing out, “Until now, it has become routine in China to illegally download and ‘thief watch’ K-dramas popular around the world, such as ‘The Glory,’ ‘Squid Game,’ and ‘Wooyoung Woo.’” In particular, he added, “What’s even more shocking is that they have freely used the image rights of Korean Wave stars who appeared in dramas and made and sold counterfeit products to make a profit.”

In addition, he said, “Now, our consumers also have to be alert. Above all, it is a time when the government needs to take active action,” adding, “We should not only focus on creating good content, but also on building a good system that can be protected around the world.” “We will have to use more,” he emphasized.

In addition to Professor Seo, criticism has been pouring in from all over, pointing out China's recent behavior.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr