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China`s fake products

Posted September. 02, 2014 08:04,   

한국어

Samsung Electronics` Galaxy S5 smartphone sells at 600,000 won (593 U.S. dollars) in Korea but at 800-1,600 yuan (128-158 dollars) at electronics wholesale shops in Shanghai, China. They are fake smartphones. Not only do they look the same, the software is duplicated enabling comfortable call and Internet use. Of course, quality is low because fake components are used.

China is heaven of fake products. Fake product markets in large cities including Hongqiao in Beijing have become popular places for foreign tourists. The types of fake products go beyond imagination. There are fakes for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Prada, and there are even fake foods using chemical drugs. There are fake alcohol, beans, eggs and milk that there is even a saying that China makes fake everything except for people. Korea was infamous for fake products 10 years ago, but now has to worry about damages from China`s gigantic industry of fake products.

Counterfeiting products that mimic Korean products are flooding in China including electronics products, automobiles, steel and even Lock and Lock food containers. However, the Korean government and companies are helpless since any filing of lawsuits can stimulate anti-Korean sentiment. After joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China appeared to crack down fake products, but has only pretended to do so. Chinese author Yu Hua who is famous for novel “Chronicle of a Blood Merchant” contributed a column on New York Times saying that intellectual property can`t be a problem if poor people read pirate copies of his novel and be consoled. This shows how Chinese people think about fake products.

China`s fake manufacturing technology has fast developed. Just 10 years ago, fake products were so shoddy that anyone could recognize that it is fake. But now it makes them almost the same as original with A, B, C grades. Some manufacturing and Internet companies are already surpassing Koreans in terms of size and service level. Last year, China beat Germany to rank third after the U.S. and Japan in the number of international patent applications. Days are approaching when Korea should not only fear fake but also real products.