If you did not already know, the South Korean government is very protective of its gaming industry for both imports and exports. So much so, a games exhibition was held last week to get politicians to try out games and talk to the developers. Recently, Mr Lee Dong-sup (below) from the National Council for Culture, Sports and Tourism brought up an issue which is currently plaguing the industry. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, 76% of complaints in 2018 were games-related, and many were due to these China games companies not having a South Korean subsidiary to communicate with local consumers.
You see, through platforms like Google Play and App Store, there isn’t really a need for companies to setup offices in every country for customer service or business. Moreover, as South Korea is a gaming mecca and these Chinese mobile games are rushing up the top apps charts, it poses a long-term threat to local studios. This topic (or issue) will be further discussed at an upcoming parliamentary meeting. Mr Lee Dong-sup is also an advocate pushing for more budget from the government to build new esports stadiums countrywide.
