An online listing for cosmetics or a health functional food can raise questions, but a photo or a low price alone cannot establish whether an individual product is counterfeit. Korea's Intellectual Property Office (지식재산처) announced joint public–private monitoring of suspected counterfeit sales listings from October 12 through October 30, 2026. The cover is an imagined shopping still life, not a photographed product or enforcement operation.
The campaign does not authenticate a particular purchase, certify its safety, or guarantee a refund. Here is what the announced plan says—and what a buyer can check separately.
What is covered from October 12 to 30?
The official release and its attachment say the first phase targets 35 trademarks across four product categories: cosmetics, health functional foods (건강기능식품), infant/children's goods, and cleaning products. It covers sales listings on 15 major online platforms, including open marketplaces, social networks and cross-border shopping platforms. These figures do not mean 35 brands were proven counterfeit or that every product on every marketplace will be checked.
The announced process starts with AI detection of suspicious sales listings. Where needed, a product may be bought and its authenticity assessed by the trademark owner; a listing confirmed to be counterfeit is then to be blocked. An AI alert is not a final authenticity finding, and the release does not say that every suspect listing will receive a physical test.
Does the campaign end on October 30?
October 30 is the scheduled end of the first concentrated monitoring phase for health- and safety-related goods, not the end of the entire plan. The release says November through year-end monitoring will focus on cross-border shopping season products such as clothing, fashion accessories and shoes, with intensified monitoring on holidays and at night during major sales. This is an announced follow-on plan, not evidence that today's listings have already been vetted.
Sharing information about detected counterfeits with other agencies and trademark owners, and coordinating action at customs or against counterfeit-selling websites, are likewise described as planned links in the response. Do not confuse the first-phase product categories with those for November–December.
What can a buyer check?
These are general editorial suggestions, not an official product-authentication or refund procedure in the release:
- Before ordering: Look at seller details and sale terms; compare product information in the listing with the manufacturer's or authorized seller's information. An unusually low price or odd description warrants a closer look, not an accusation of counterfeiting.
- Before paying: Find the displayed return terms and contact route; ask the seller when these are unclear.
- If concerned after ordering: Keep the listing, order details and correspondence, and ask the selling platform or seller how that particular order can be handled. Do not declare another seller's item counterfeit on the basis of an image alone.
Plausible packaging or labeling does not itself establish authenticity or safety. Nor does government monitoring automatically cancel an order or deliver compensation. The applicable transaction terms and platform process still need to be checked for the individual purchase. This English guide does not establish an English-language helpdesk or a dedicated consumer reporting channel.
For a shorter Korean question-and-answer version, see the Life Mokcha Naver guide.
About the Author
Life Mokcha's editorial team checked the Intellectual Property Office release (posted on the government portal October 12, 2026) and its three-page PDF attachment for dates, categories and the detection–assessment–blocking sequence. This article makes no finding on the authenticity, safety or refund outcome of any particular product.
