MUSINSA held discussions with the government to protect the rights of local small fashion brands and to help strengthen the overall fashion ecosystem.
On June 21, MUSINSA hosted an on-site roundtable with the Korean Intellectual Property Office(KIPO) at its headquarters in Seongsu, Seoul, to discuss key issues in the fashion platform industry. MUSINSA was represented by CEO Joonmo Park and External Affairs Director Sangbeom Seo, while KIPO was represented by Director General Sanggon Shin of the Intellectual Property Protection & Cooperation Bureau, along with officials from the Unfair Competition Investigation Team and the IP Dispute Response Division.
The roundtable was held to review the current landscape of K-brands expanding into global markets, particularly in the fashion sector where international interest is rapidly growing. The discussion focused on exploring proactive measures to address potential intellectual property issues—such as trademark and copyright infringement—that may arise as promising small and emerging Korean designer brands enter overseas markets. Representatives from local brands including AECAWHITE, URAGO, and RONRON also participated in the event, emphasizing the importance of IP protection abroad.
MUSINSA and KIPO also discussed ways to ensure a fair competitive environment for fashion brands based on consumer trust. Recently, MUSINSA became the first domestic fashion platform to conduct a full inspection of over 7,900 items made with down or cashmere materials from its partner brands. As an e-commerce intermediary, the company is taking proactive measures beyond its legal obligations to build trust with both customers and brands.
At the roundtable, MUSINSA proposed collaborative measures between the public and private sectors to address unfair trade practices in the fashion industry, such as mislabeling of material composition. Based on insights gained from its full inspection process, MUSINSA emphasized the need for institutional support beyond individual companies’ self-regulation and called for the establishment of a cooperative model with the KIPO. The company also expressed its hope that more industry stakeholders—including both online and offline retailers and platforms—will join this collaborative effort.
In response, the KIPO expressed its commitment to not only strengthening intellectual property protection but also actively addressing unfair trade practices to support the global expansion of K-fashion. MUSINSA is expected to participate in KIPO’s ongoing IP protection initiatives, and both parties plan to continue reinforcing their partnership to facilitate the international growth of Korean brands.
A MUSINSA official said, “As a leading fashion platform in Korea, we initiated this dialogue with the government to explore effective ways to support K-fashion brands in expanding globally.” They added, “We hope more companies will join efforts to enhance the reputation of K-fashion through stronger collaboration in quality control, which directly impacts the industry’s credibility abroad.”