SEOUL – South Korea is grappling with an escalating wave of counterfeit K-Food products flooding overseas markets, particularly across China and Southeast Asia. The booming global popularity of Korean cuisine has unintentionally created a fertile ground for sophisticated intellectual property (IP) infringement, prompting a joint government and industry effort to combat the threat.
The Imitation Epidemic: Scope and Scale
The problem has expanded far beyond global bestsellers like Samyang Foods' Buldak Stir-fried Noodles (Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen). Imitation extends to virtually all categories of Korean food, including seasoning salt (like Daesang's 'Cheongjeongwon' brand's Matsogeum), seaweed, fish sauce, and seasonings like Dasida (from CJ CheilJedang).
The proliferation is evident in the data. According to the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency (KOIPA), the number of overseas online counterfeit K-Food products detected has nearly doubled in three years, rising from 1,312 cases in 2021 to 2,609 cases in 2024.
Sophisticated Counterfeiting Tactics
Counterfeiters are employing increasingly elaborate methods to deceive consumers. These tactics include:
Near-identical Packaging: Fake products often closely mimic the original packaging's colors, designs, and even specific characters (like Buldak's 'Hochi'), making differentiation nearly impossible for the average consumer.
Misleading Information: Some products use different, subtly altered brand names, or replace Korean expressions with generic terms like ‘Seasoning’ (조미료) or '味精 (Mi-Jing)' while retaining a similar look.
Complex Distribution: Counterfeit goods are no longer limited to the country of origin. They are being illegally exported from countries like China to other regions, such as Southeast Asia.
Deceptive Sales Practices: Companies have reported instances where legitimate stores display genuine products but fulfill online orders with counterfeits, or mix genuine and fake items in shipments.
Even North Korean entities are reported to be manufacturing and distributing imitation Korean products, including ramen, into markets like China.
Brand Damage and Corporate Response
Korean food giants are fighting back to protect their brand integrity and intellectual property.
Samyang Foods, whose flagship Buldak Ramen is a major target, is taking aggressive legal action, including issuing warning letters and pursuing administrative measures against IP infringers. The company stresses that the compromised taste of fake products severely damages the original brand’s reputation.
Daesang has launched a joint investigation with the Korea Food Industry Association across Southeast Asia to document and respond to counterfeits of their 'Cheongjeongwon' brand products, such as seasoning salt, seaweed, and fish sauce.
CJ CheilJedang has been active in combating knock-offs of major brands like Bibigo, Baekseol, and Dasida. In Vietnam, the company successfully secured a fine against a distributor selling an imitation product using an old ‘Baekseol’ logo under a "Seoul" brand. They also won a two-year legal battle in Paraguay to invalidate a trademark registration that illegally appropriated the ‘Bibigo’ brand.
HiteJinro, a leading beverage company, estimates that over 27 similar soju brands with identical fonts and bottle shapes are circulating in Vietnam alone.
Government Steps Up Defense
Recognizing the severity of the challenge, the South Korean government is escalating its efforts to protect the vital K-Food sector's intellectual property.
The Korea Food Industry Cluster Agency (KFICA), under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, has commissioned a research project on protecting food industry IP rights. The findings are expected next year, forming the basis for systemic improvements and stronger countermeasures against fake food at home and abroad.
Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University has emphasized the critical need for Korean companies to prioritize international trademark registration for all K-Food products distributed overseas to legally preempt counterfeit operations.
Industry groups, including the Korea Food Industry Association, have established a "Joint Consultative Group for the Eradication of K-Food Counterfeits" and are actively pursuing trademark infringement lawsuits in Chinese courts.
These collaborative actions aim to preserve the authenticity of K-Food and ensure that consumers worldwide are able to purchase genuine, high-quality Korean products, safeguarding the integrity of a key export industry.
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