The World Poker Tour has been forced to cancel an event in South Korea.
Rising tensions between the host nation and China have led the WPT to err on the side of caution.
WPT’s high hopes for National Festival dashed
The National Festival had been set to take place on the South Korean island of Jeju.
With eight million bet-friendly Chinese having visit the island in 2016, the event seemed to be a license to print money
However, such is the parlous state of Sino-Korean relations, both nations’ tourism bodies are currently committed to restricting movement between the countries.
After considering the damage said restrictions might have upon the tournament, the WTP felt it had little choice other than to cancel the National Festival.
Trump responsible for poker woes
Incidentally, if you’re wondering why China and Korea are on particularly poor terms right now, it has a lot to do with one Donald Trump.
As CalvinAyre’s Lee Davy explains, “[The stalemate is] a product of the South Korean multinational conglomerate Lotte’s decision to provide land to Donald Trump who plan to set up a missile defence system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD).
“China is a little concerned that Trump could have his missiles so close to the red zone, and have reacted by suspending 50+ Lotte retail stores in China, and slapping bans on airlines and cruise ship package holidays that Goldman Sachs believe will cost the Chinese tourist industry over $5 billion.”
Donald Trump – a man capable of screwing things up on the other side of the world without really trying.
