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South Koreans play Pokemon Go on July 15, 2016 in Sokcho, South Korea. South Korea is not one of the initial Pokemon Go released countries, nor is the game likely to be released officially any time soon as the South Korean government does not allow Google to use its map; however, South Korean game enthusiasts are now visiting a handful of loophole areas in the north eastern side of the country near the border of North Korea to join the global frenzy of Pokemon Go. Pokemon Go is a free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic and published by The Pokémon Company as part of the Pokémon franchise. It was released in July 2016 for iOS and Android devices. The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, who appear throughout the real world. It makes use of GPS and the camera of compatible devices. The game is free-to-play, although it supports in-app purchases of additional gameplay items. An optional companion Bluetooth wearable device is planned for future release, the Pokémon Go Plus, and will alert users when Pokémon are nearby. The game quickly became one of the most used smart device apps after launching, surpassing the previous record held by Candy Crush Saga in the United States, and was a boon to the stock value of Nintendo, which owns a part of The Pokémon Company. It was praised by some medical professionals for potentially improving the mental and physical health of players, but attracted some controversy due to reports of causing accidents and being a public nuisance at some locations. (Photo by Jean Chung/Getty Images)
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