Unauthorized merchandise featuring BTS’s ‘Arirang’ is reportedly being sold on Chinese online shopping malls.
Amid the global excitement surrounding BTS’s Gwanghwamun comeback concert, the appearance of illegal merchandise on major Chinese online shopping platforms has sparked controversy.
Seo Kyung-deok, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, stated that many netizens had reported the issue. He confirmed that “T-shirts and various accessories openly using the Arirang logo are being sold on platforms like Taobao and AliExpress.”
Professor Seo highlighted that “the biggest issue is the sale of illegal merchandise utilizing BTS’s portrait rights without authorization.”
He added that while shopping malls may not directly produce illegal goods, “they are unequivocally responsible for featuring these counterfeit products on their platforms.”
Previously, the illegal distribution of content in China also became a significant controversy during the global popularity of Netflix’s ‘Squid Game.’
At that time, foreign media, including the South China Morning Post, reported that “some of the most popular ‘Squid Game’-related products on Korea’s online shopping site Coupang were sold by companies in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Anhui Province in China.”
Professor Seo criticized such actions as “truly pathetic.” He deemed it “inconceivable not only to illegally view content but also to produce unauthorized goods for profit.”
He emphasized, “This must stop now,” and stressed that “the act of stealing content from other countries must be brought to an end.”
Image source: Xportsnews DB, Chinese online shopping mall images
