Chapter 142: Warm Canada
Chapter 142: Warm Canada
Tiananmen.
Just hearing that word was enough to show how immense its power was over the Chinese reporter.
“You’re insulting Chinese people with your absurd sophistry!”
Wang Wenwen, the reporter who had shouted aggressively at the press conference.
The moment he heard Tiananmen, his face drained of color, and he spoke in a trembling voice.
“I-I think I made a mistake. I’m not feeling well, so please forgive what just happened.”
Wang Wenwen fled the press conference like his life depended on it.
There were a few other Chinese reporters who had been frantically raising their hands and shouting to ask questions.
“I’m from CCTV. I have a question!”
“I’m Gao Feng from Xinhua News. Please explain this nuclear incident!”
The noisy bunch suddenly froze, sitting quietly in their seats.
If the promise to create a Tiananmen map actually came to fruition, it would be an event no reporter could handle.
‘A real journalist would ask their questions even with a knife to their throat.’
The American and European reporters were different.
I didn’t know much about journalism, but I respected those who seemed like the real deal.
“Alright, next question. David, go ahead.”
“I’m David Hanson from Reuters. What’s Earth Channel’s subscriber goal for this year?”
“I’m not too hung up on numbers. Earth Channel is loved by people, but there’s still a lot we lack. Our goal is to bring more joy going forward.”
The remaining Chinese reporters didn’t raise their hands; they just sat quietly, jotting down the press conference notes.
* * *
After the spat with the Chinese reporter, the PR team went into high alert.
Once the conference ended, the consensus was that they had to block any negative articles somehow.
“Rosina, it’s going to happen anyway.”
“But sales in the Chinese market will drop a lot. Chinese users keep subscribing, and they make up over 14% of Earth Channel’s base.”
Rosina, who handled the media outlets in PR, had an impressive resume.
Miss Universe contestant, acted in a Hollywood drama as a teenager, spent two years as a New York Times reporter, then joined our company.
Having a talent like her worrying about Earth Resource made me feel like we’d hired the right people.
“I don’t want to cling to any China-related business. You never know when they’ll stab you in the back, and if you keep bowing your head, you’ll just get dragged along.”
“So that’s what you meant by ‘it’s going to happen anyway’?”
“Yeah. I want to grow Earth Channel into a platform for the whole world. So I’m not going to get attached to China. If we did something wrong, we should apologize, of course—but we can’t bow just because their market is big.”
Watching Korean companies struggle after entering China taught me that catering to one country’s whims isn’t worth much.
Of course, you couldn’t simply compare an internet platform like Earth Channel to manufacturing, which needs factories and consumer markets.
‘Even Google, the poster child of American companies, can’t operate in China. What good does pandering to them do?’
〈Earth Resource CEO Kim Shin Clashes with Chinese Reporter〉
〈Kim Shin: “We’ll Make a Tiananmen Map for Chinese Users.”〉
〈Furious Kim Shin at Press Conference: Abandoning the Chinese Market?〉
Footage of the argument with the Chinese reporter was uploaded to YouTube and Earth Channel by broadcasters.
“Sir, views on this incident are skyrocketing.”
“It’s creating a huge buzz.”
Other videos from broadcasters averaged under a million views, but the one of the reporter spat hit ten million in just an hour.
Comments flooded in on the Earth Channel video.
―Refreshing. You’ve got to say what needs to be said.
―First time seeing someone stand up to a Chinese reporter like that.
―Everyone’s happy with the Last Survivor tournament. Using nukes and acting smug crossed the line.
―Chinese people don’t know shame. If they win, it’s justified; if they lose, it’s humiliating.
The comments were mostly positive, probably due to China’s built-up image over time.
―Global Times article’s up.
―What?
―Typical Chinese trash not worth reading.
I’d expected the Chinese reporters to write bad articles.
〈Kim Shin Insults 1.4 Billion Chinese People〉
〈Earth Resource Dodges Responsibility, Blames All Fault on Chinese Users〉
〈Earth Resource Mocks China〉
You could guess the content just from the headlines. Notably, there was no article from Wang Wenwen, the one I’d argued with.
He must have been pretty shocked about the Tiananmen map with his name on it.
“How should PR respond? Should we prepare a press release calling it a misunderstanding by the Chinese media?”
“Hmm.”
I thought for a moment.
Chinese media had a strong nationalist bent.
They didn’t care much about facts; they shaped domestic opinion.
Any explanation from us wouldn’t stick, and they wouldn’t report anything unfavorable to them.
“Let it be.”
“Just ignore it?”
Rosina’s eyes widened.
Her clear blue eyes could make plenty of men weep.
To me, with Jo Soo-ah in my life, she was just a pretty woman.
“Yeah. No response. If there’s nothing we can do, doing nothing is fine.”
Chinese media sites were flooded with articles slamming Earth Resource.
They called Earth Resource immoral and anti-China, accusing it of becoming arrogant after a little success and disrespecting a great nation.
I didn’t pay attention to any of it.
“Eddie, ready?”
“Yeah. We finished the update at dawn.”
The Earth Channel app had received an update.
Precautions in case the Chinese government blocked access.
In Greater China regions, it would bypass via numerous hidden IPs.
If that got blocked, it supported access through a secure private network.
“Coin payment feature?”
“Added that too.”
Anticipating credit card blocks in China, it allowed payments for Earth Channel fees at current coin rates.
“Hmm. This should cover everything.”
* * *
The Last Survivor tournament wrapped up successfully, but Chinese media erupted.
Harsh criticism of Earth Resource flooded the internet.
Chinese people rioted across communities and left comments on my Earth Channel videos.
―Kim Shin needs to learn respect for Chinese people.
―Small country origins. Don’t lose your roots just because you made big money.
―(Vomit emoji)
―China civilized the barbarian fringes. Don’t you know to respect the suzerain?
―Flawed character. Explains why he can’t keep a proper family.
“Sir, better not read these.”
“It’s fine.”
PR managed my account.
Reading the malicious comments didn’t stress me out—ever since breaking up with Han Chae-won, my mental resilience had toughened up.
―Don’t diss Kim Shin hyung.
―We’ve got your back, hyung.
―You guys could handle Han Chae-won?
―Chinese gone? Last Survivor’s gonna be so chill now. Big welcome!
Koreans and Americans fired back in the comments, turning the section into a battlefield.
“Myeong-woo. How’s the Earth Channel subscriber change?”
“Up ten million this week. But Chinese subscribers dropped 3.2 million.”
“Really?”
I figured 3.2 million was acceptable.
〈Chinese Government Must Crack Down Hard on Harmful Foreign Sites〉
〈Excessive Gaming’s Harms Damage Culture and Economy〉
Chinese media kept raging, and as expected, Earth Channel access in China got blocked.
A State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television official appeared in the media.
“Earth Channel refuses to comply with China’s censorship policies. It recklessly distributes unapproved games—high-stakes gambling and violent ones—destroying people’s lives.”
The agency oversaw movies, dramas, radio, games, and culture in China.
It was infamous for rejecting Korean games and imports without permits.
“Eddie, how’s access in China?”
“No issues. If they really push the block, we’ll keep updating bypasses. Team’s ready.”
Running the company in San Francisco meant access to top talent anywhere.
Oh Myeong-woo and Eddie’s teams included plenty of hackers.
They were apparently among the biggest fans of games, K-pop, and anime in the United States.
‘Good thing I didn’t cling to China business. Blending US, Europe, and Asian culture into Earth Channel is enough.’
I wanted to invest in and create content that worked across many countries. But the world had other plans.
[2nd Last Survivor Tournament]
I posted the announcement earlier this time.
It boosted game promotion.
The prize pool was 4.56 million dollars, with various additional giveaways.
The tournament would cost over eight million, but we were earning more than that.
The FPS game that started a craze in Korea—PUBG’s first-year revenue topped two billion dollars.
Tying Last Survivor and Earth Channel got worldwide media coverage.
“Shin-ah, Chinese subscribers are up?”
“Huh?”
“Seven million this week alone. Exploding upward.”
“…….”
Chinese forums overflowed with hate for Earth Resource and me.
Yet Chinese users were subscribing more and boosting sales by buying Last Survivor.
“This won’t last forever. Not much for Chinese to watch on Channel 7 anyway.”
Users could get around the blocks. But Chinese streamers had shut down completely.
No one wanted to defy the government and risk retaliation via Earth Channel.
But even that sorted itself out.
“Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia—overseas Chinese streamers are surging.”
“Huh?”
“No personal broadcasts for Chinese viewers anymore. They’re filling that gap.”
A flood of Greater China streamers appeared.
Some of the streamers who lived outside China wore masks to conceal their identities.
“Hello, I’m streamer Jang Wei, born in Hong Kong and living in Canada!”
Jang Wei rocketed to three million subscribers.
He spoke clear Beijing dialect, his studio full of Chinese-style items and decor, yet he claimed to be Canadian.
Amazingly, viewers didn’t call him out.
―I live in Hawaii, Canada too.
―Canada’s so warm even in winter. Love it.
―No Americans? I’m in London.
―You’re near me!
Despite the government blockade, streamers and viewers found ways around it on their own.