Controversial ‘Strawberry Siru’ Lookalike Cakes Appear in Busan
Creatrip Team
6 months ago
A Busan bakery has drawn comparisons to Daejeon’s famous Seongsimdang with a cake resembling Seongsimdang’s popular "Strawberry Siru" (딸기시루). The Busan cake mirrors Seongsimdang’s design—chocolate sponge, visible strawberry cross-section, clear wrap, and similar mint packaging—and even shares the same small-size price (43,000 KRW). Social media attention surged, with a comparison reel reaching over 5.2 million views. Taste testers noted texture and sweetness differences despite visual similarity. Legal experts say the copies could violate Korea’s Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act (부정경쟁방지법) because the Seongsimdang product was launched in January 2023 and the Busan cake appeared in December 2023—within the three-year protection window. Seongsimdang responded leniently, calling such imitation a common industry benchmarking practice and praising competitors’ efforts, while the Busan bakery declined to comment.
