South Korea's MOIP and MSS Launch Joint Initiative to Protect K-Brands in the Global Market
26-Oct-2026
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Source : The South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP)
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Visits : 99
- Launch of the “SME K-Brand IP Protection Consultative Body” to strengthen interagency cooperation. -
- Proactive protection of K-brands through information sharing, coordinated responses to IP infringement, and closer integration of support programs. -
DAEJEON - The South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP), led by Minister KIM Yong Sun, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), led by Minister LEE So Young, held a kick-off meeting to launch of a “consultative body for SME K-Brand Intellectual Property Protection” on October 2, 2026, at the Government Complex in Daejeon, according to the official website of the Ministry.
With the growing global popularity of Korean culture, K-brands in sectors such as K-beauty, K-food, and K-fashion have gained increasing recognition worldwide. At the same time, cases involving the unauthorized use of Korean trademarks and designs by third parties and the distribution of counterfeit products through global online platforms and physical stores have increased sharply, causing significant harm to Korean exporting SMEs.
< K-Brand Intellectual Property Infringement Cases >
· K-Beauty: Counterfeit versions of popular products from Beauty of Joseon, including its best-selling sunscreen (Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics), have been manufactured and sold on platforms such as Amazon and TikTok Shop. These counterfeit products replicate not only the appearance of the genuine products but also details such as the tamper-evident seals on the original containers. Counterfeiters have even priced their products similarly to genuine ones to avoid raising consumer suspicion.
· K-Food: Counterfeit and imitation products copying the trademarks and packaging of well-known Korean seaweed brands have been distributed through local markets and online shopping platforms abroad. In some cases, overseas vendors have preemptively filed trademark applications for well-known Korean brands in their local jurisdictions before the legitimate Korean rights holders could do so, subsequently producing counterfeit products under similar names and designs and exporting them to third countries.
To address such these challenges, four organizations—MSS, the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), MOIP, and the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency (KOIPA)—have agreed to establish a consultative body to strengthen cooperation in protecting Korean SMEs from IP infringement overseas. MSS and its affiliated agency KOSME provide export support to SMEs, while MOIP and its affiliated agency KOIPA support companies in overseas IP protection and dispute resolution. By bringing together their respective expertise and resources, the four organizations aim to minimize the harm caused by IP infringement in overseas markets.
Going forward, the participating organizations will leverage their existing overseas support networks, including Global Business Centers (GBCs)* and overseas IP Centers**, to regularly share information and coordinate responses to cases involving the unauthorized registration of Korean companies' trademarks by third parties (trademark squatting), counterfeiting, and other IP infringements abroad. They will also strengthen coordination between their support programs so that SMEs participating in export assistance initiatives can simultaneously access overseas IP protection services.
*KOSME GBCs: 22 centers across 14 countries, including those in New York, Tokyo, Beijing, Hanoi, and Jakarta.
**KOIPA Overseas IP Centers: 10 centers serving 40 countries, including those in Los Angeles, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, and Mexico City.
The organizations will also jointly conduct training sessions and information seminars on overseas IP protection and dispute resolution support. To ensure systematic implementation of these initiatives, KOSME and KOIPA plan to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize their cooperation and put the measures into practice.
Director General SIM Jae Yoon of Global Growth Policy at MSS stated, “Counterfeiting and imitation of K-brands go beyond financial losses. They can seriously damage a company's reputation and brand image, potentially threatening its very survival. We will further strengthen cooperation among relevant organizations to minimize the harm that Korean SMEs face from IP infringement in the course of their export activities.”
Director General PARK Jin Hwan of the Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution Bureau at MOIP stated, "The key is to provide proactive support so that SMEs do not suffer unexpected losses from trademark squatting or counterfeit products as they expand overseas, particularly after investing considerable effort in building their brands. By closely linking MSS's export support infrastructure with MOIP's IP dispute response system, we will work to establish a robust IP protection network that enables Korean SMEs to expand and grow in overseas markets with confidence.”