'Circulation of counterfeit Boen dates in Vietnam' Forest Service, devises eradication measures

(Daejeon=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jun-ho = The Korea Forest Service announced on the 12th that it is taking measures to prevent damage to domestic export companies as cheap counterfeit red dates from Vietnam are being sold disguised as "Boeun Red Dates from Korea." The Korea Forest Service is working with local buyers to improve consumer awareness in the local area, informing them of cases of counterfeit products being circulated as Korean products, and promoting overseas marketing activities such as how to distinguish genuine Korean products. In 2023, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korea Forest Service requested cooperation from the Vietnamese government in inspecting the illegal distribution of red dates, and last year, it supported the cost of producing and attaching anti-counterfeiting QR codes and packaging materials to the export companies. Explanation sessions on how to distinguish genuine Korean products were held for officials from Vietnamese intellectual property-related agencies in 2023 (around 90 people) and this year (around 70 people). The Korea Forest Service plans to inform the use of the K-brand dispute response service of the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Protection Agency under the Ministry of Justice and to conduct on-site joint inspections with the Agricultural and Fishery Marketing Corporation (aT), KOTRA, and others by investigating the local distribution situation in Vietnam. Song Won-young, the head of the Forestry Export and Trade Team, said, "To prevent the infringement of the brand value of Korean forest products, we will continue to listen to and resolve the concerns of the export industry and strengthen cooperation with local authorities and related agencies."