Pokémon in South Korea: Difference between revisions

The [[Pokémon]] ('''{{tt|포켓몬스터|Poketmonseuteo}}''') franchise first reached '''{{wp|South Korea}}''' in 1999, with the first airing of ''[[EP001|Pikachu, I Choose You!]]'' on the {{wp|Seoul Broadcasting System}}. None of the [[Generation I|first generation]] Pokémon games were released in South Korea, so it was not until the release of {{game|Gold and Silver|s}} in 2002 that Pokémon games were released in South Korean stores.

[[File:PocketMonstersGumEun.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cover of Pocket Monsters Geum·Eun]] Eventually, South Korean and Japanese relations had warmed up to the point where the South Korean government's ban on Japanese cultural imports was partially lifted in October 1998<ref>[http://www.jei.org/Restricted/JEIR00/0026w3.html SOUTH KOREA EASES BAN ON JAPANESE CULTURE]</ref>. This in turn finally allowed for the release of some Pokémon titles in South Korea. In particular, the Pokémon anime first appeared on Korean television on July 1999, while the Pokémon manga series, [[Pokémon Adventures]] (포켓몬스터 스페셜 ''Pocket Monsters Special''), was released on August 1999. The first Korean-language [[core series]] game would be {{game|Gold and Silver|s}} (포켓몬스터 금·은 ''Pocket Monsters Geum·Eun''), which saw a release in April 2002 by 대원씨아이 ''{{wp|Daewon C.I.}}''; its delay may have been due to the difficulty of including the {{wp|Hangul|Korean language writing system}} in it. The game also came in a clear cartridge as opposed to the regular [[Game Boy]]-compatible cartridges. However, neither {{game|Crystal}} nor the [[Generation III|third generation]] games would see a localized release in South Korea, potentially for the same difficulties involved in translation. There may have also been uncertainty on how to play those games, as Hyundai did not license a version of the [[Game Boy Color]] or [[Game Boy Advance]] for release in Korea. However, Daewon C.I. imported the Japanese version of {{game|Ruby and Sapphire|s}} in South Korea under the title 포켓몬스터 루비·사파이어 ''Pocket Monsters Ruby·Sapphire''; while the back cover and a short game manual were translated into Korean, the rest of the game remained in Japanese<ref>[http://bbs1.ruliweb.daum.net/gaia/do/ruliweb/family/995/read?bbsId=G001&articleId=7738840&itemId=81921 포켓몬과 함께하는 추억여행(4)-혼란기(2004-2006)]</ref>.

[[File:Platinum KO boxart.png|thumb|right|200px|Cover of Pokémon Giratina Pt version]] Since its official release, Pokémon has enjoyed considerable success in South Korea. Releases in Korea have been able to keep pace with Japan and the rest of the world; Korean-language editions of [[Pokémon Adventures]] volumes are generally released in Korea before English editions in North America, new TCG sets are released on par with international releases, and starting with [[Pokémon X and Y]] (포켓몬스터 X・Y ''Pocket Monsters X·Y''), core series games have been released in South Korea at the same time as the rest of the world, with Korean as a language option in all regions. Furthermore, 이현정 ''[[Lee HyunJung|Lee Hyun-jung]]'' is a Korean employee of [[Game Freak]] who designed {{p|Tepig}}, {{p|Pignite}}, and {{p|Emboar}}, aa well as illustrating a number of cards for the Pokémon TCG. In 2014, the [[2014_World_Championships#Masters_Division_2|Video Game Championship, Masters Division]] winner was '''박세준''' ''Park Se-jun'', the first Korean winner of a Pokémon Worlds event.

[[File:Pokémon Sun Version logo KO.png|thumb|200px|right|Korean logo for Pokémon Sun]]Currently, the Korean franchise tends to mirror that of Japan, in the same way the European franchise mirrors that of North America. Some Korean Pokémon names and NPCs are translations or transliterations of their Japanese names; {{p|Sylveon}}'s Korean name 님피아 ''Nimpia'' is based on the Japanese ニンフィア ''Nymphia'' rather than its Western name. Furthermore, event Pokémon distributions in Korea tend to follow similar events in Japan rather than those in Europe and the States; the Japanese [[List of local Japanese event Pokémon distributions (Generation V)#Year of the Dragon Eggs|Year of the Dragon]] event was also [[List of Wi-Fi Korean event Pokémon distributions (Generation V)#Year of the Dragon Pokémon|available in Korea]], but was never released in the West. Finally, like the Japanese versions, the "포켓몬스터" logo used on every game changes with each generation, instead of using the same "International Pokémon" logo used in the West.

 

[[File:PokemonXY-KoreanBox.png|thumb|right|200px|Cover of Pocket Monsters X·Y]]

[[File:KoreanPGL.png|thumb|right|200px|Korean Pokémon Global Link]]Local events have been occurring often in South Korea since the release of {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s}}. The events are usually announced on the Korean Pokémon website. With the release of {{game|Black and White|s}}, there has been both an official Korean version of the [[Pokémon Global Link]] as well as various Wi-Fi competitions, both International and Local (Korean).

[[File:Cartoon Network 2010 Logo.png|thumb|left|170px|Cartoon Network logo]]

[[File:Johto Region Story The Final Chapter.png|thumb|right|x240px|''Johto Region Story, The Final Chapter'' poster]]

<!--The Korean dub of the [[Pokémon anime]] is recorded and produced by ''' '''.-->The Korean dub of the [[Pokémon anime]] was first aired on July 14, 1999. It's mainly based on the original Japanese version and has continued to do so, independent from the international versions managed by [[The Pokémon Company International]]. Most characters are renamed in the dub; for example, [[Ash Ketchum]] is 한지우 ''Han Ji-u'', {{an|Misty}} is 최이슬 ''Choi I-seul'', and {{an|Brock}} is 웅 ''Ung''.

Special episodes, such as ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate!|Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters out of the Gate]]'' and ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness]]'', have been dubbed as well.

Unlike the other dubs, the Korean dub has banned 20 episodes so far, including the ones banned in Japan. These banned episodes usually included overt references to Japan and Japanese culture, such as ''[[EP004|Challenge of the Samurai]]'' and ''[[EP032|The Ninja Poké-Showdown]]''. However, most of these episodes were from the [[original series]], with the last unaired episodes (not counting clip shows like [[AG120]] and [[DP120]] or episodes banned in Japan) being from ''[[Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire]]'': [[AG055]] and [[AG056]]. However, that may have been an oversight, as many of the unaired episodes were released on DVD.

Episodes [[EP260]] to [[EP274]] were not aired during the broadcast of the [[original series]]. No official explanation was given for it; the series went off-air after [[EP259]] on November 27, 2002 and resumed with [[AG001]] on July 21, 2003. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Korean dub's debut, the [[Silver Conference]] episodes were later remastered and dubbed as '''''Pocket Monsters: Johto Region Story, The Final Chapter''''' (Korean: '''포켓몬스터: 성도지방 이야기, 최종장'''), which will be screened in theaters in May 2024.<ref>[https://pokemonkorea.co.kr/2024_M0 「포켓몬스터: 성도지방 이야기, 최종장」 특설 사이트]</ref> Despite not having been released in Japan, the movie was given a Japanese name (Japanese: '''ポケットモンスター: ジョウト地方の物語、最終章''') in the original name field of the {{wp|Korea Media Rating Board}} rating.<ref>[https://ors.kmrb.or.kr/rating/inquiry_mv_view.do?RCV_NO=2438952&KIND=MVTRAIL&GUBUN=N&proc_state_code=Completed 온라인등급분류서비스-등급자료조회 - 영화(ポケットモンスター: ジョウト地方の物語、最終章)]</ref>

* [http://pokemonkorea.co.kr/ Pokémon Korea] (The official Korean Pokémon website — unique formate)