Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea

Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea

March 23, 2009

In what could be viewed as a real-world version of a business tycoon game, the video game foreign trade wars appear to be heating up.

Earlier this month came word that Nintendo was jacking up the price of the Wii in the U.K. due to the weakness of the British pound vis-a-vis the yen.

Last week GamePolitics cited a report that China was using protectionist tactics by blocking entry of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft in order to promote home-grown MMORPGs.

Now, via Kotaku, comes word that Sony has stopped shipping PlayStation 3s to South Korea.

Thanks to the depreciation of South Korea's won versus the stronger yen, it seems that Japanese tourists have been picking up PS3s on the cheap and toting them home from Korean trips. A Sony employee told Chosun Online:

We are troubled by 'reverse-importing', which is when products exported into South Korea are flown back into Japan," said a Sony employee.

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Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by mdo7 - March 23, 2009 at 7:43 am -0500

 

I saw this on Kotaku earlier.  Well, I can understand that.

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by nighstalker160 - March 23, 2009 at 7:59 am -0500

I understand the business practice, but where does this leave South Korean consumers? Are they forced now to purchase their PS3 via online only so that it is shipped directly to them? 

In which case what's to stop private re-sellers from buying a few PS3's jacking the price up higher than it it would otherwise be in South Korea but still less than the Japanese price and simply reselling?

Or is Sony just saying "Sucks to be South Korean, no Playstation 3 for you!"

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by PHX Corp - March 23, 2009 at 9:06 am -0500

I think Sony should say one thing saying "we'll sell it, But not to Japaneese people vacationing there in S korea"

Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by hellfire7885 - March 23, 2009 at 10:56 am -0500

Only case in which I'd support this is if the halt of shippign was due to censorship attempts.

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by killatia - March 23, 2009 at 11:01 am -0500

So your saving your japaness part of sells but screwing over south korea? Way to go sony way to go.

 

http://www.magicinkgaming.com/

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by MaskedPixelante - March 23, 2009 at 12:15 pm -0500

Ahhh, the SecuRom approach. They're going to risk 100,000 sales just to stop 100 cheap sales.

---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by Wolvenmoon - March 23, 2009 at 3:03 pm -0500

This calls for a universal ban on WoW to all chinese players until this is lifted. =)

I'd also, if I were south korea, ban sony products for five years and give a government grant to microsoft to chop some of the price off of 360s and games.

This kind of marketing should not be tolerated, and I would be tempted to ban all chinese games from being accessed by U.S. players until this BS stopped.

I will not buy securom games. http://www.wolvenmoon.com/sharedfiles/message1.jpg and http://www.wolvenmoon.com/sharedfiles/message2.jpg

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by SeanB - March 23, 2009 at 5:07 pm -0500

To: Sony and nintendo

Sell your products in your own currency only, making distributers do the conversions and pricing. Stop telling people what prices they have to charge for your products, and let the market decide.

Problem solved.

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by ecco6t9 - March 23, 2009 at 5:17 pm -0500

Once again Sony is against companies selling products to anyone, lets just hope another online retailer doesn't have to die this time.

Re: Report: Sony Stops PS3 Shipments to South Korea
Submitted by gonzlamm - March 23, 2009 at 11:22 pm -0500

Its funny reading this. If you go to my home town of Guatemala, Guatemala City Gamecubes still sell for more tha $150. Shit, a wavebird will run you 60 bucks XD

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