Service Terminated Amid 'Hanbok Is Chinese' Controversy... Chinese Game Company's Worst Management

Hanbok items added to Shining Nikki. Photo by Papergames

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] Recently, controversy arose over the claim that hanbok, Korea's traditional clothing, is Chinese traditional attire in a Chinese game, sparking criticism of the 'reckless management' by overseas game companies.

Lee Sang-heon, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, issued a statement on the 6th urging, "The government must immediately introduce the 'Domestic Agent Designation System' to prevent overseas game companies from reckless management in Korea."

The incident began when the Chinese game company Paper Games added Korea's traditional hanbok as a new event in their mobile game "Shining Nikki." Chinese users claimed, "Hanbok is the clothing of the Joseonjok (ethnic Koreans in China), so it belongs to China," sparking disputes between users from both countries. In response to the controversy, the company announced, "As a Chinese company, Paper Games' stance is always aligned with the motherland. We oppose all actions that harm national interests and will actively fulfill the responsibilities and missions of a Chinese company."

After strong backlash from domestic users, Paper Games declared the termination of its Korean service altogether. The company explained the reason for ending the service, stating, "Radical public opinion insulting China was repeatedly expressed, crossing our final limit," and "As a Chinese company, we firmly reject such media and actions and protect the dignity of the nation."

Rep. Lee criticized, "Instead of apologizing to domestic users, they only hurled criticism and announced the service termination," adding, "Skipping refund and compensation procedures and merely stating the download block and game service termination date is laughable." He raised his voice, saying, "This clearly violates Article 13, Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Fair Trade Commission's standard terms for mobile games."

According to Rep. Lee, this is not the first time Chinese game companies have engaged in reckless management. Last year, Huang Cool Entertainment's "The One Who Becomes King," which was controversial for sexualized advertisements, and the Chinese game distributor "X.D Global" also failed to provide any refund guidance before ending game services in Korea.

Rep. Lee emphasized, "Allowing overseas game companies to ignore domestic laws and cause harm to our users damages the game ecosystem," adding, "Overseas game companies must also be held accountable under domestic laws for violations of personal information protection, unfair practices, and consumer complaints."

Lee Sang-heon, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker