China suddenly stopped broadcasting the official Korean Pro League of the game ‘League of Legends (LoL)’, which is very popular in the country. There is an interpretation that this is a ‘retaliatory action’ for a Korean e-sports professional gaming team’s recent reference to Taiwan as a country on social media.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong on the 29th, Huya, the official Chinese broadcasting platform for the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), is not broadcasting the 2024 regular league game that opened on the 17th without any explanation. This is the first time that Huya has not broadcasted the LCK since it began exclusive broadcasting in 2018.
Riot Games, the Chinese game company that hosts the LCK, is refraining from commenting, saying, “This is because there is no business operator (in China) with broadcasting rights.” However, SCMP, citing Chinese gaming industry officials, said, “The biggest reason for giving up LCK broadcasting is the recent remarks about Taiwan by the Korean e-sports team ‘Gen.G.’”
The controversy was sparked by a post posted on Gen.G’s official social media account in December last year. Gen.G announced the launch of a collaboration product with a chair manufacturer and wrote, “We selected Taiwan as the first country (for launch).” Gen.G, which received strong criticism from Chinese users from that day, eventually posted an apology a day later, saying, “Gen.J resolutely respects and supports China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
However, this time, users who support Taiwan protested. The situation got worse when Gen.G later withdrew his apology again, saying, “I wish to maintain clear neutrality regarding specific political views or ideologies.” China adheres to the ‘One China’ principle, which does not recognize Taiwan as a country. In this situation, there is an analysis that a series of controversies have upset the Chinese side.
China is reacting sensitively to cross-strait issues after the pro-American, independence-leaning current Vice President Lai Ching-de was elected in Taiwan’s presidential election on the 13th. On the 24th, a Korean businessman was detained upon entering Taoxian Airport in Shenyang, China, because Taiwan was marked as a country on the world map in his notebook.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.