With the growing global popularity of K-pop, the demand for albums and merchandise has exploded—unfortunately, so has the circulation of unofficial or counterfeit products.
As a fan or reseller, it’s important to understand what makes an item official and how to confirm its authenticity.
What Is an “Official” item?
To be honest, fake K-pop albums have never been an issue in Korea, and I’ve personally never come across one.
Given the straightforward and transparent nature of Korea’s distribution system, distributing counterfeit albums would likely require more effort than distributing official ones.
It’s also reasonable to believe that most businesses would not jeopardize their reputation by resorting to illegal means.
All albums officially released in Korea come with a KOMCA (Korea Music Copyright Association) sticker attached.
In fact, this may be the only true form of authenticity verification available.
However, when it comes to goods, counterfeits definitely exist.
The term “counterfeit” here refers to products that are produced without obtaining proper copyright, portrait rights, or official approval from the label or entertainment company.
The image shown above is taken from Aliexpress, and unfortunately, similar counterfeit items can also be found on major platforms like Amazon.
There is a significant presence of counterfeit photocards, apparel, and other merchandise in the K-pop market—and selling these unlicensed items is a clear violation of the law.
K-pop fans are highly aware of what constitutes official merchandise and often stay updated on upcoming releases.
Avoid hurting your store’s reputation by offering counterfeit or unofficial goods.
Most official K-pop merchandise is sold through the artist’s official store or well-known platforms.
Hanteo and Circle Chart
Hanteo Chart is an operated private company, not a government organization.
It functions as a sales tracker by collecting album sales data and presenting it in chart form.
Circle Chart operates in a similar way, but it is managed by KOMCA (Korea Music Copyright Association).
Among the two, Hanteo Chart is generally more widely recognized, especially among international fans.
They are not related to official authenticity certification.
However, being registered with them can be one way to build trust with customers.
Regardless of who your store sources products from, you must have an official partnership agreement with them and pay the relevant fees in order to use their logo or mention their name on your store.
FAQs
Q: Do you only sell official (authentic) products?
Yes, we proudly offer only 100% officially distributed and genuine products.
We do not sell any products with unclear origins or unofficial status—under any circumstances.
Q: Are the items you sell entirely manufactured in Korea?
For albums, about 99% are made in Korea.
However, in some cases, we also carry albums that were officially released in countries like Japan or the U.S. and then officially imported into Korea.
All goods we sell are officially sourced—either through the artist’s platform or licensed distribution channels.
However, since some entertainment companies manufacture their merchandise in China, you may find “Made in China” labels on certain goods.
Q: Are the products you sell different from the ones sold on Weverse Shop?
We source our products directly from Weverse Shop, so they are the same official items.