Twitch to shut down in SKorea over 'seriously' high fees


WASHINGTON - US-based streaming platform Twitch said Wednesday it would stop its service in South Korea in February because of "seriously high" network costs, dealing a blow to millions of users in one of the heartlands of e-sports.

The Amazon-owned company said in a statement signed by CEO Dan Clancy that costs were 10 times higher than most other countries, making it impossible to continue operating.

South Korea allows internet service providers to charge data-heavy companies like Twitch extra fees, which has already led to a long dispute with Netflix.

Big telecom firms in Europe have pushed for a similar deal, which they call "fair share", but an EU consultation concluded in October that the idea was not popular.

Twitch said it had tried to lower its costs by reducing the maximum video quality but it was still losing money and would pull out of the country on February 27.

"The cost of running Twitch in South Korea is currently seriously high," said the statement.

- 'Stellar player' -

Twitch, acquired by Amazon in 2014 for close to $1 billion, gained significant traction among gamers in South Korea.

The firm does not publish user numbers but it was widely reported in 2021 to have six million users in South Korea, more than four percent of its global total.

The country is known for its passionate, competitive, and dedicated gaming community, as well as its megastar Faker -- a gamer hailed as the Michael Jordan of e-sports.

"We would like to reiterate that this was a very difficult decision, and one that all of us at Twitch are deeply saddened by," the company's Wednesday statement said.

"South Korea has always been a stellar player in the global e-sports community and will continue to do so."

Shares in South Korean video streaming service Afreeca TV, Twitch's competitor, soared almost 30 percent in afternoon trading in Seoul.

Some of the country's Twitch users were devastated by the news.

One streamer, yummy_2 said: "It feels like losing my job right now."

- Biden vs Trump -

Netflix was the first major international firm to cry foul over South Korea's rules on network fees, getting entangled in lawsuits with SK Broadband, one of South Korea's biggest internet service providers.

However, the two firms announced in September they would drop the legal cases and would now instead "collaborate as partners for the future".

While the usage fees are a boon to telecom companies, they are bitterly opposed by tech platforms around the world.

European lawmakers and digital rights activists also argue such an arrangement could break rules on net neutrality, whereby telecoms firms are barred from selling faster internet speeds to particular companies.The issue has been at the heart of a years-long dispute in the United States with former President Donald Trump rolling back net neutrality rules and his successor Joe Biden struggling to restore them. Twitch to shut down in SKorea over 'seriously' high fees
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N Korea stole $300m in crypto to fund nukes: UN report


A confidential UN report claimed that North Korea has stolen more than $300 million worth of cryptocurrencies through cyberattacks in recent months to support its banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. -Reports AFP

Compiled by a panel of experts monitoring sanctions on Pyongyang, the report said the country’s “total theft of virtual assets from 2019 to November 2020 is valued at approximately $316.4 million”, citing a UN member state. 

Financial institutions and exchanges were hacked to generate revenue for Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development, said the report, which was seen by AFP. 

The vast majority of the proceeds came from two thefts late last year. 

The North is known to operate an army of thousands of well-trained hackers who have attacked firms, institutions and researchers in South Korea and elsewhere. 

It has also been accused of exploiting its cyber capabilities for financial gain. 

The North is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, which have made rapid progress under leader Kim Jong Un. 

A summit between Kim and then-US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February 2019 broke down over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return. 

Nuclear talks have been stalled ever since, while the North showed off several new missiles at military parades in October and last month when Kim pledged to strengthen his nuclear arsenal.

The UN panel said it was investigating a September 2020 hack against a cryptocurrency exchange that resulted in $281 million worth of cryptocurrencies being stolen. 

A second cyberattack siphoned off $23 million a month later.

“Preliminary analysis, based on the attack vectors and subsequent efforts to launder the illicit proceeds strongly suggests links to the DPRK,” the report said, using the initials for the North’s official name.

Pyongyang’s cyberwarfare abilities first came to global prominence in 2014 when it was accused of hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment as revenge for “The Interview”, a satirical film that mocked leader Kim.

The attack resulted in the posting of several unreleased movies as well as a vast trove of confidential documents online.

The North is also blamed for a huge, $81 million cyber-heist from the Bangladesh Central Bank, as well as the theft of $60 million from Taiwan’s Far Eastern International Bank.

The North’s hackers have allegedly stepped up campaigns to raise funds by attacking cryptocurrency exchanges as the value of bitcoin and other cybercurrencies soared.

They were blamed for the 2017 WannaCry global ransomware cyberattack, which infected some 300,000 computers in 150 nations encrypting user files and demanding hundreds of dollars from their owners for the keys to get them back.Pyongyang has denied the accusations, saying it has “nothing to do with cyber-attacks”. - AFP Source:https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
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South Korea to Push for SPADGMS, minesweepers deal with India

The $ 3 billion Self Propelled Air Defence Gun Missile System (SPAD-GMS) deal is expected to be part of discussions between the Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane and the top brass of South Korea. In the SPAD-GMS, South Korea’s Hanhwa Defence had emerged as the lowest bidder beating the Russian competitor. In line with the government’s `Act East Policy’ and to explore avenues for further expansion of the military ties, the Indian Army Chief Naravane has left on a three-day visit to South Korea on Monday (December 28, 2020). He will be holding talks with his counterpart – the army chief and chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as the minister of defence. He will also meet with South Korea’s minister of Defence Acquisition Planning Administration (DAPA). The army chief’s visit to South Korea’s capital Seoul comes close on the heels of his recently concluded visit to the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While in South Korea, the Indian Army chief will go to the Korea Combat Training Centre in Gangwon province and Advance Defence Development (ADD) facility which are located at Daejeon.Both countries have elevated their bilateral relations to Special Strategic Partnership in 2015. India and South Korea have been in discussions for several military platforms and weapons, especially naval shipbuilding. In 2019, the South Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering had responded to Indian Navy’s Expression of Interest (EoI) for six advanced conventional submarines under Project-75I (India). And KSS-3 submarine for the Rs 45,000 crore proposal of the Indian Navy. The Project 75I is expected to be processed under the Strategic Partnership Model (SP), and the submarines will be built in India through technology transfer. As reported earlier, the OEM will have to tie up with an Indian company for manufacturing under the Make in India initiative. South Korea considers India as a serious power and a key partner within the region and India looks at South Korea a major partner under the `Act East Policy’. Both countries have last year inked a logistics agreement, which is going to help the Indian Navy while operating in the Indo-Pacific Region and in interoperability. What Was The Army Looking For In The Self Propelled Air Defence Gun Missile System? In 2013, the Indian Army had floated a requirement for five regiments of a self-propelled air defence gun-missile system. The 104 units were budgeted at approximately $2.5 billion. Each unit having twin 30 mm cannons. There are four short-range missiles fitted on a tracked chassis. Why Are They Needed? Because they can help in protecting critical installations and areas which can be hit by drones, helicopters or low-flying aircraft. And, as has been reported by Financial Express Online, the South Korean Company Hanwha Defence had emerged as the lowest bidder by beating two Russian contenders. The decision to scrap the whole deal was taken by the Ministry of Defence on the grounds that the specifications mentioned are now dated. The South Korean company is willing to transfer technology to Indian company either L&T or any other Indian company for the manufacturing of this missile system. What Is The Indian Army Looking For? These SPAD-GMS are expected to replace 1360 obsolete Bofors L 70 40mm single barrel and Soviet-era ZU-23-2 towed 23 mm twin-barrel weapon systems of the Indian Army. And the Indian Army needs almost five regiments of the guns. These guns can be deployed with the forces and be relocated based on the threat perception. Mine-Counter Measure Vessels (MCMVs) For The Indian Navy When the Army chief talks with the military brass and the minister, there could be some forward movement in the negotiations for 12 mine-counter measure vessels (MCMVs) for the Indian Navy. These are to be built at the Indian Goa Shipyard through Transfer of Technology (ToT), under the `Make in India’ initiative. South Korean Company Kangnam Corporation and Italian shipbuilder M/s Intermarine had responded to the MoD RFI (Request for Information) for the MCMVs. These MCMVs are required on an urgent basis to fill gaps in the navy’s mine warfare capability. The discussions with the South Korean Company Kangnam Corporation was stalled due to certain issues related to the indigenous content as well as the terms and conditions of ToT. Why Do Navies Need Minesweepers? These are deployed to help secure the harbours by locating and destroying underwater mines and are considered vital for keeping critical sea lanes safe. India’s Act East Policy The Chief of Army Staff had accompanied Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to a visit to Myanmar. During that visit in October, the Indian side announced its decision to supply an attack submarine to the Myanmar Navy and to further enhance military cooperation between the two countries. This was followed by Army Chief’s three-day visit in November to Nepal. The visit to the Himalayan neighbour had significant diplomatic overtones. During his visit to South Korea in 2019, the defence minister Rajnath Singh had invited the top defence majors to participate in various defence projects in India. The companies which specialize in military platforms in South Korea are allowed to Transfer Technology as there are no laws to stop the transfer. They are keen to work with the Indian private sector companies under a joint venture.///Indiandefencenews/Source: Defenseblog-njs.blogspot.com
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