KiShin's expansion, South Korea, KiShin's entry point

January 1, 1991

After Christmas, Shin and Mira celebrated the New Year together. Shin received calls from his mother and second sister inquiring about his well-being, to which he reassured them. Shin and Mira ushered in the New Year together by touring various tourist spots in Tokyo.

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[KiShin Headquarters]

January 2, 1991

Shin, who had harbored a keen interest in the manga industry for some time, had Lee Han investigate the authors in 'Shounen Jump' and other manga publishing companies.

He managed to identify the equivalent authors of the famous manga from his previous life, such as 'Kira Toriyama' and 'Masato Kishimoto,' among others. Surprisingly, their works were eerily similar to those from his previous life.

What's particularly intriguing is the presence of an author named 'Eiichiro Oda' in this world. The name of the author of 'One Piece' remained unchanged, and he even secured the second place in the Tekuza Award by submitting 'Wanted!,' a Western-themed one-shot.

Shin felt a surge of excitement as he prepared rough outlines of the popular manga from his previous life to share these scripts with these authors. As long as he held the rights to these beloved manga, he could adapt them into video games whenever he pleased.

For now, Shin wasn't in a rush to contact them. He knew that he would meet these authors soon to discuss his vision, though it was originally their creations. Currently, his focus was on expanding the company's presence in other Asian regions.

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KiShin successfully struck deals with numerous retailers with a strong presence in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Aeom Retail, in particular, concentrated on Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Other partners had a substantial footprint in Southeast Asia. This marked the first time KiShin established its own distribution networks, at least within Asia.

Tora and Suzuki were informed about these developments, but they didn't seem concerned. Besides the USA and Europe, they had their own presence in Asia, with their retail companies situated in the region. 

They weren't worried since their products were already popular in Asia. However, they remained heavily focused on the USA and Europe, especially Tora, who had already released their products in the USA, with Europe to follow. Suzuki didn't want to fall behind and planned to release their video game consoles and cartridges in the USA as well.

As a result, retail companies that had more neutral connections with Tora and Suzuki also contracted with KiShin. 

Tora had developed its own video game controllers that, although not very popular in Japan, gained popularity in the USA, such as a gun controller based on KiShin's design. 

Similarly, Suzuki had introduced game controllers to complement some of their video games that had garnered attention in Japan, including a sniper controller that became a hit in Japan.

Even though Tora and Suzuki had already established themselves in Asia, some of their gun controllers were still unavailable in the region. As of now, KiShin planned to release its products in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea in February, as they prepared ample stock and tasked their employees with setting up local branches in these countries. The process was expedited but carried out meticulously by KiShin's capable employees.

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[Seoul, South Korea]

South Korea's economic growth, which had stood at 283.4 billion USD in 1990, was steadily increasing in the current year of 1991.

This is evidence of the country's growing economic status, but one of the key reasons for this growth was the emergence of a few conglomerate companies, such as Samstar Electronic, Hyun Motors, and Lucky Gold Group, which evolved into global-scale corporations that rivaled major Japanese companies.

Among these companies, Samstar Electronics thrived in the domestic market with products like TVs, VCRs, radios, and computers, surpassing the Suzuki Group in their local market competition. While Suzuki Group also offered similar products, Samstar Electronics faced tough competition, particularly in telephone and phone sales, where Suzuki excelled due to their products' durability and long-lasting keyboards.

Both Samstar and Suzuki had their semiconductor divisions. These South Korean companies were spurred by the competition with technologically superior Japanese companies, which led to their gradual innovation over time.

However, one day, Tora Electronics, a Japanese company, introduced video game consoles and video games that sparked considerable interest among the South Korean population. As time passed, the popularity of these products raised concerns among South Korean companies, especially Samstar Electronics.

However, they were somewhat relieved when the video game trend started to wane, as Tora's video games weren't as captivating, even though they still entertained most people.

Yet, the South Korean companies remained watchful, aware of the video game market's thriving status in Japan. As expected, Suzuki Electronics eventually entered the scene, releasing their video game console and games, which once again dominated the market. But, similar to Tora, the initial enthusiasm began to wane.

Then, on February 19, 1991, KiShin marked its first foray into a foreign market. KiShin chose South Korea, a nation steadily growing in economic prosperity, as its initial entry point.

[KBS 1TV]

The news of KiShin's debut in the South Korean market was broadcast on KBS 1TV.

The news anchor declared, "The next report is sure to pique the curiosity of the video game community. Japan's leading video game company is making its long-awaited debut in the South Korean market and will release its products soon. Our reporter, Ree Chanewook-sunbae, will delve into the details." He smiled as the television split into two screens, and another person appeared on the other side.

The news anchor inquired, "Ree sunbae, could you please provide us with more information about KiShin? Are you currently located outside their headquarters?"

Ree Chanwook stood outside KiShin's building in Toshima Ward, Japan, and he nodded at the camera. "Exactly, Sam Dae-hyun-nim," he acknowledged before continuing, "KiShin Electronics' video game consoles and video games utterly dominated the Japanese market, surpassing even the two giants, Tora and Suzuki."

"Despite the KiShin console having somewhat lower specifications, it captured the hearts of the Japanese," Ree Chanwook continued as the camera zoomed in on KiShin's logo adorning the building. He explained, "KiShin was the first to release a video game console that rekindled people's interest in gaming, and that might be the reason why the Japanese people hold a special place for KiShin."

The scene transitioned to bustling arcades filled with people enjoying games like Super Mario. This was a recorded segment, and Ree Chanwook interviewed one of the Japanese players. In somewhat broken Japanese, he asked, "Why do you believe KiShin is superior?"

The Japanese player in his 20s gazed at the South Korean reporter with a hint of indifference for a moment before exclaiming, "It's the absolute best! When I play Super Mario Bros, I don't need any other video games!" He said this with great enthusiasm.

The reporter, Ree Chanewook, was somewhat taken aback by the Japanese player's fervor. He nodded as the scene switched back to the live broadcast.

"As you can see, KiShin's video games are truly revered by the Japanese people here..."

After a while, the report concluded.

Meanwhile, the South Korean viewers in their homes expressed frustration over yet another Japanese company entering their country.