Tag: Pokemon

Pokemon Go Craze Reaches Osan Airbase

If you are on Osan AB and see random people congregating and looking into their smartphones at certain locations this may be why:

Pokemon Go recently launched in South Korea, and the post office at Osan Air Base is one of the many Pokestops available to servicemembers there.

Serra said it’s not bad exercise either, but don’t expect the local sergeant major to cancel physical training anytime soon.

A quick stroll around Osan Air Base reveals Pokestops at the post office, Turumi Lodge and the officer’s club. Players who reach level 5 can challenge a level-7 gym at the Tuskegee Airman statue.

Military officials caution that common sense and military regulations still apply.

Bob McElroy, a spokesman for Camp Humphreys, said servicemembers are free to play across base but need to refrain from using the game where operational security or sensitivity is a concern.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

Nintendo Announces Launch of Pokemon Go In South Korea

I am surprised it took this long for the popular Pokemon Go game to come to Korea:

Popular augmented reality (AR) game “Pokemon Go” was officially released in South Korea on Tuesday, six months after becoming a global hit with millions of downloads.

Users can download the Pokemon Go official application from Google Play store and Apple’s App store, and it is available in Korean.

Pokemon Go didn’t work in most parts of South Korea as the AR game uses data from Google’s mapping service, which is restricted by the Seoul government due to security concerns.

However, tens of thousands of local users have downloaded the mobile game since its launch in the United States in July 2016.

Game developer Niantic Inc. said that it will hold a press conference later on Tuesday.  [Yonhap]

South Korean Company To Release Pororo Go Game

Leave it to South Korea to come up with their own version of the smash video game hit Pokemon Go since the game cannot be played in South Korea except in one city due to the Google Maps ban:

There has been a mobile augmented reality game development boom since Pockemon Go gained huge popularity. In Korea, Pororo Go, a game applying Pororo characters to AR technology, will soon be released.

AR service firm Social Network said Monday Pororo Go will be launched next month in partnership with Iconix, the maker of Porong Porong Pororo. Social Network last year released “Sketchpop,” an education app for AR coloring by using Pororo, Lava, Puka, Tayo and Robocar Poly characters, which has garnered 1 million downloads in Korea.

Social Network CEO Park Su-wang said, “While Pockemon is an augmented reality game for simple fun, Pororo Go includes education elements in AR game, which makes it stand out and allow children to enjoy and learn at the same time.”  [Donga Ilbo]

This game must being using one of the Korean mapping companies like Naver.  It makes me wonder if this game can be played outside of Korea?

Pokemon Go Loophole Causes Korean Gamers To Flood to Sokcho

I must be one of the few people in the world that has not played Pokemon Go, with that said I can’t imagine myself taking a trip all the way to Sokcho to play a video game:

Smartphone game “Pokemon Go” has become an international sensation after its release on July 6 in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Now, Korean fans have found a way to access it.

The game, developed by Niantic, uses GPS and a camera to locate and capture in the real world fictional “pokemons.” The characters originate from the Japanese media franchise Pokemon in 1995.

Korean fans were frustrated when they heard the game might not be available in South Korea.

“Pokemon Go” operates with Google Maps and the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOILT) has denied Google access to a precise map of the country. Google again requested the map in June and MOILT will decide in August whether to give the information.

But Korean users have found a way to play the game after finding a loophole in the system. Niantic developed a GPS-based game called “Ingress” in 2013. During development, the company gathered GPS information around the globe, including from North Korea. The same data was used in developing “Pokemon Go.”

The data divides countries into diamond cells. Because it categorized areas around Sokcho, Gangwon Province, as a North Korean sector, the game functions in the city’s vicinity.

After the information went viral, buses to Sokcho have been fully booked for the weekend. People who failed to reserve a ticket posted on social media that they will be driving to Sokcho to play “Pokemon Go.”

Sokcho has posted a city map showing free Wi-Fi spots to help Pokemon players who will be visiting this weekend. [Korea Times]