Grand Korea, China Marketing Team, Japanese Office Slimming

South Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance said Grand Korea Leisure Limited (GKL), a public utility operating the country’s foreign-only casino, is aimed at reducing the size of its Chinese marketing team and reducing the number of liaison offices in Japan by a third. There, it will operate four instead of six as before.

The statement did not mention how many Chinese marketing staff Grand Korea Leisure has used or how many will remain.

Grand Korea Leisure is a subsidiary of the Korea Tourism Organization affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that it will apply some operational efficiency to 40 state-run companies participating in overseas businesses, including Grand Korea Leisure, citing “efficiency.”

In the case of Grand Korea Leisure, it specifically mentioned ‘a prolonged slump in the market in China’.

Even before the pandemic, China has been pushing for a crackdown on its citizens’ “cross-border gambling.” 파친코

In a commentary to GGRASIA, Grand Korea Leisure pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a long-term setback in outbound tourism in China, which has contributed to shrinking Chinese marketing teams.

The company said it needed to evaluate how China’s outbound travel situation unfolded before deciding on the scale of its marketing cuts.

Regarding Japan, Grand Korea Leisure said it has closed its Hiroshima and Sapporo offices in GGRA Asia since March 2022 and will not “resume.” In contrast, the company added that it has been expanding its activities in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka since October this year.

Grand Korea Leisure returned to profit in the third quarter, showing sequential growth in the company’s casino net sales and gambling visitors.

The company operates three Seven Luck brand casinos exclusively for foreigners. There are two in Seoul, including Gangnam, and one in the southeastern port city of Busan.

The group will close the Millennium Hilton Hotel’s Gangbuk concert hall in Seoul on Dec. 30 and move game operations to Dragon City in Seoul from Dec. 31.