{
  "id": 12568223,
  "title": "Is your K-beauty or K-food real? South Korea’s new QR system will tell you",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/is-your-k-beauty-or-k-food-real-south-koreas-new-qr-system-will-tell",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-07T06:52:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2026/10/07/is-your-k-beauty-or-k-food-real-south-koreas-new-qr-system-will-tell-you/238086"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seoul has introduced a new \"K-Brand Government Certification System\" to authenticate K-pop, K-food, and K-beauty products, as the country's cultural wave, known as \"Hallyu,\" continues to expand globally. President Lee Jae Myung announced the initiative, which will enable consumers to verify product authenticity by scanning a QR code with their mobile phones.\n\nThe Hallyu phenomenon, fueled by K-pop acts like BTS, the Netflix hit Squid Game, and KPop Demon Hunters, has resulted in a record-breaking US$14.9 billion in content exports last year, surpassing the overseas sales of computers and home appliances. K-food and K-beauty exports also hit record highs, amounting to US$12.4 billion and US$11.4 billion, respectively.\n\nWhile the growth of these K-brands has made them part of everyday life for people worldwide, they also face a surge in counterfeit products overseas. Seoul's government plans to swiftly address this issue, stating that they will no longer leave companies to combat counterfeit products alone. Currently, 31 companies, including Samyang Foods and Amorepacific, have signed up for the certification scheme.\n\nAccording to OECD data from 2024, the global market for counterfeit \"K-brand\" products was estimated at approximately 11 trillion won. The surge in popularity of Korean cultural exports has also led to an all-time high of 18.94 million foreign tourists visiting the country last year.",
  "summary": "SEOUL, Oct 7 — South Korea’s president said today the country is taking steps to protect the country’s...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "South Korea launches ‘K-brand’ scheme to fight counterfeits",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/south-korea-launches-k-brand-scheme-to-fight-counterfeits",
        "published": "2026-10-07T06:23:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "South Korea launches 'K-brand' scheme to fight counterfeits",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/south-korea-launches-k-brand-scheme-to-fight-counterfeits-12569430",
        "published": "2026-10-07T06:41:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "South Korea signals military exemption cuts for athletes after Asian Games backlash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/south-korea-signals-military-exemption-cuts-for-athletes-after-asian",
        "published": "2026-10-07T07:07:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "South Korea to review military service exemption after Asian Games row",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/south-korea-to-review-military-service-exemption-after-asian-games-row",
        "published": "2026-10-07T09:48:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}