Report: Sony troubled by 'reverse-importing,' no more PS3s for South Korea (Playstation Group on Bebo 27/3/09)

Sony is halting shipments of PlayStation 3 to South Korea due to a "reverse-importing" issue, according to a Chosen Online report, as translated by Kotaku. Apparently (somewhat) creative gamers are taking advantage of the depreciated South Korean Won (₩) by purchasing their consoles for a reduced price in South Korea and hauling them back to Japan, where the Yen (¥) remains strong. The 80 GB PS3 launched in South Korea in June 2007 and sells for ₩480,000 ($321); versus ¥39,900 ($412) in Japan. A Sony representative said the company was "troubled" by the importing issue.

Sony isn't the only company going this route to save money on dwindling currencies. Nintendo recently increased the margin on Wiis sold to UK retailers, forcing stores to increase the price of the system. Also, Microsoft still charges you the life of your first born for a larger Xbox 360 hard drive. (Well, not outright but ... approximately.)