South Korean esports organization apologizes for referring to Taiwan as a “country”

Photo: Screenshot from Gen.G's Weibo account

On Wednesday, the South Korean esports organization Generation Gaming, known as Gen.G, issued an official statement, apologizing for referring to Taiwan as a country in promotional content on Facebook and "reaffirming its unwavering commitment to respecting and upholding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Screenshots circulating online revealed a post by Gen.G on its Facebook account, which said one of its sponsors has designated Taiwan as the first "overseas country" to launch its products. Gen.G's League of Legends team will also plan a visit to Taiwan in celebration of the launching.

The Facebook post has triggered backlash and criticism from Chinese netizens. Currently, the post is no longer visible on Gen.G's Facebook account.

On Wednesday afternoon, Gen.G's League of Legends branch on China's X-like Sina Weibo issued apologies in both Chinese and Korean, acknowledging "a serious error in the overseas social media content due to lax scrutiny."

"We have subjected the responsible staff to serious criticism and suspended their social media posting duties. We will cease all related promotions and cancel the team's visit for this event," the apology read.

The apology quickly gained traction on Weibo, becoming a trending topic with over 45 million views by Thursday afternoon.

"For such a mistake, we will take it as a lesson. In the future, we will strengthen communication with partners worldwide, emphasizing our stance and philosophy to prevent similar incidents," said the statement.

Established in 2017, Gen.G is a prominent esports organization with headquarters in Seoul, Los Angeles and Shanghai. Ranked sixth on the 2019 Forbes list of the world's most valuable esports companies, Gen.G boasts various esports teams, including those competing in League of Legends, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and others.

Global Times