GAPIELON GmbH, formerly known as AZUBU Interactive GmbH (renamed on April 15, 2013), now surprisingly lists its field of operation as "Großhandel mit Nahrungs- und Genussmitteln a. n. g." (wholesale food and tobacco unspecified):
I called phone number listed in gapielon's official website. The first thing I heard was "Hello, Park" (with korean accent)
I assume's it's Silverio Park himself. So when I call company that does wholesale food and tobacco business, I get greeted by the CEO? haha. I laughed and hung up. I'm pretty sure it's 1-man company established for some shady reason.
The address also shows some residential building in google maps.
Hey Guys. So I've looked up the Website mentioned in the Main-Post "http://www.azubux.com". And one thing i have to say. For an "easy and safe" online payment method, their "Terms and Conditions" fits on a single A4 Paper.
So to have a comparison i went to Paypal and looked at their "Legal Agreements" of Paypal Services. Where i first have to chose from around 20 links, depending on if it's for customer, merchand or busniess, or product-specific agreements. Where every link gives you so much to read that I don't know if I could read all, even if i had a whole day freetime to do so.
Has anyone tested, if Azubux even works and gives you the product that they promised?
There you can see the anual reports of azubu (bundesanzeiger.de type in azubu europe ag)
it's everything in german tho
Not really informative, because there is only one annual report (for 2011 no less) and three announcements for "AZUBU Europe AG". The annual report for 2011 - actually only 8.12.2011 to 31.12.2011 - lists sums of the magnitude of 50.000€ ... which isnt enough to do anything other than pay a bit of rent and salaries.
An intersting bit is the part of "SYSK Limited, Road Town, British Virgin Islands is a majority shareholder" ... and Virgin Islands is a tax haven and known for housing many "cover up companies".
I don't really know where to begin with this, and I'm not sure how dead this thread is. But I was linked this post by a user on Reddit who found me there from my many posts regarding Azubu.
I'm a former intern at Azubu in Berlin (I can provide proof through my contract and ID showing that I am who I am). The company owes me several months of backpay, which I've been trying desperately to get. I'm a foreigner who has little to know knowledge of the German legal system, so my struggle to get paid has been pretty much useless at this point.
I don't know if there's any desire to know anything about the company, but if you want I'd be willing to answer questions (and verify that I actually did work there). I worked one-on-one with Silverio Park, in the office in Berlin. I'd be more than happy to answer questions and give any information if anyone would like any.
In return I'd love it if maybe a German could help me out with some translation work (I wrote a letter to the Agentur fuer Arbeit, but I need it translated into German, as my Amtdeutsch is far from good).
Anyways, this company is shady as fuck and should be avoided like the plague. I'll also be penning a letter to the US Department of Labor because I know for a fact that many of the employees they have in the US office are working without proper visas.
On August 07 2013 18:50 Coraliine wrote: I don't really know where to begin with this, and I'm not sure how dead this thread is. But I was linked this post by a user on Reddit who found me there from my many posts regarding Azubu.
I'm a former intern at Azubu in Berlin (I can provide proof through my contract and ID showing that I am who I am). The company owes me several months of backpay, which I've been trying desperately to get. I'm a foreigner who has little to know knowledge of the German legal system, so my struggle to get paid has been pretty much useless at this point.
I don't know if there's any desire to know anything about the company, but if you want I'd be willing to answer questions (and verify that I actually did work there). I worked one-on-one with Silverio Park, in the office in Berlin. I'd be more than happy to answer questions and give any information if anyone would like any.
In return I'd love it if maybe a German could help me out with some translation work (I wrote a letter to the Agentur fuer Arbeit, but I need it translated into German, as my Amtdeutsch is far from good).
Anyways, this company is shady as fuck and should be avoided like the plague. I'll also be penning a letter to the US Department of Labor because I know for a fact that many of the employees they have in the US office are working without proper visas.
I'm the one who linked this topic. This person is indeed someone who worked at the EU office.
Sidenote: After the Korean branch closed, info came out that the German branch would continue running their SC-2 team. There's quite some info that can show that the European branch is one big shady business. It's a big mess over there.
I can confirm that when I worked there (November - March), there were at most 4 people in the office (myself and Mr. Park included). By the time I left there was no one there except another Korean company that did eSports stuff with the same "investors". I did meet one of the investors, who was a legitimate guy (not tied to any criminal activity that I know of). I'm not in Berlin anymore, so I can't stop by the office to see if there are people there anymore.
I was originally hired to work as an eSports expert, but they ended up having me do work in web development (I never led them to believe I had knowledge in this field), and community outreach (which was virtually just making lists of teams and players in Europe).
The last I heard about the eSports (from my friend who still works in the company) was that they were thinking of entirely cutting their professionals. They were going to make the switch from sponsoring to just their AzubuTV website.
Hi Coraliine, I'm sorry to hear that they didn't pay you for your work. Can I ask few questions about your experience at Azubu?
1. They had two official addresses. I think they registered their company in first address and later moved to new address. When you were there, which one were you at? The first address that they used for registration was some 4-6 story building. The new address they put on their website was big building(+10 floors with guard on first floor). Which one did you work at?
2. Another korean esports company you mentioned...it could be Clauf. Does that name ring any bell? Pictures of 3 individuals who work at clauf are here: http://clauf.com/ They made official announcement that they have no ties to Azubu, but it appears to be complete lie.
3. In your honest opinion, were they really trying to accomplish something with the company ? or were they trying to rip off investors/abuse government incentives/stock fraud?
4. If you didn't know already, Park said he resigned his position in Azubu Europe. Now he runs the company called Gapielon in Germany. Gapielon is new name for Azubu interactive. Do you know anything about this company? (btw, you can reach Park by calling the number on this company website. It directly connected to his personal phone last time I called)
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If you need help in German, you should try sending pm to "Rabiator". He's german and he helped me with some german stuff few weeks ago. In case you need help in Korean, I can help with it. When you send the letter to US department of Labor, also send it to USCIS (US immigration), too. Unauthorized employment may be handled faster through that department.
If you want this (your experience at Azubu, not getting paid, etc) to go public in Korean media, I can help you. I believe your story. If you can prove your employment with ID and contract, I will translate your testimony and forward it to journalists who write articles in game webzines to put even more pressure on Azubu.
I can confirm Azubu has paid for everything they promised to CSL. From October 2012 through February 2013, Azubu paid exactly what they agreed to pay, and are currently in the process of paying the prize pool of $180,000 to teams/players in CSL (not complete yet, but I can confirm about 70% of the prize money has been paid so far).
I'm not posting this in support of Azubu per se, and I don't work for Azubu, but I do want to say that despite what negative things people say, they did do everything they promised in relation to CSL.
That's a relief. I hope Azubu fixes all the loose ends such as unpaid salary and prizes, and move on to whatever they are upto...(it seems like they are focusing on stream)
On August 09 2013 02:14 Xeris wrote: I can confirm Azubu has paid for everything they promised to CSL. From October 2012 through February 2013, Azubu paid exactly what they agreed to pay, and are currently in the process of paying the prize pool of $180,000 to teams/players in CSL (not complete yet, but I can confirm about 70% of the prize money has been paid so far).
I'm not posting this in support of Azubu per se, and I don't work for Azubu, but I do want to say that despite what negative things people say, they did do everything they promised in relation to CSL.
On August 09 2013 01:11 anemoneya wrote: Hi Coraliine, I'm sorry to hear that they didn't pay you for your work. Can I ask few questions about your experience at Azubu?
1. They had two official addresses. I think they registered their company in first address and later moved to new address. When you were there, which one were you at? The first address that they used for registration was some 4-6 story building. The new address they put on their website was big building(+10 floors with guard on first floor). Which one did you work at?
2. Another korean esports company you mentioned...it could be Clauf. Does that name ring any bell? Pictures of 3 individuals who work at clauf are here: http://clauf.com/ They made official announcement that they have no ties to Azubu, but it appears to be complete lie.
3. In your honest opinion, were they really trying to accomplish something with the company ? or were they trying to rip off investors/abuse government incentives/stock fraud?
4. If you didn't know already, Park said he resigned his position in Azubu Europe. Now he runs the company called Gapielon in Germany. Gapielon is new name for Azubu interactive. Do you know anything about this company? (btw, you can reach Park by calling the number on this company website. It directly connected to his personal phone last time I called)
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If you want this (your experience at Azubu, not getting paid, etc) to go public in Korean media, I can help you. I believe your story. If you can prove your employment with ID and contract, I will translate your testimony and forward it to journalists who write articles in game webzines to put even more pressure on Azubu.
Sure thing!
1. I worked at the address at Friedrichstrasse, however I had been to the Seydelstrasse address frequently. It was primarily used as the apartment for Silverio Park and any of the other workers who came over from South Korea.
2. It is most certainly Clauf. I recognize the CEO. He had an office across from the kitchen. They also have more people working there, a few guys and a girl. They were all really young, but I remember them because a few of the guys actually spoke English and I'd sometimes chat with them on the elevator. They also share an investor (I know they share at least one, he would sometimes come into the office). There's another company that was across the hall that had the same investor. I can look up the company name if you'd like me to (they were also in video games iirc).
3. I don't know. I think at first, yes. But towards the end I think that they were just trying to rip people off. The one person I actually got close to (who still works for them but was transferred out of that office) and I would talk about it sometimes. They came really close to quitting, and we honestly had lost all hope in the company by December/January (only a few months after I started). I think originally they wanted to accomplish things and become a HUGE name in the industry, but I think now they're just looking to get a quick buck and rip people off. There's absolutely no direction and no one really knows what they're doing. Most people just kinda did whatever during work hours, and there was such a lack of communication it was really almost funny to watch.
4. He didn't resign. He told me he was fired. Here's the story I got: We were working on Azubu Interactive GmbH. Working on the website, making contacts with game developers in Asia, and a lot of other stuff. Apparently when Azubu Europe AG heard this they freaked out and their lawyers sent cease and desist letters and demanded we change the name. Silverio didn't listen, I suppose. I was called into the office after a few weeks off and was told that he had been fired. He told me that he couldn't pay me, and asked me to come into the Seydelstrasse office to continue working. I basically told him pay me or fuck off. He didn't pay me. I've spoken to him several times, but after a very heated e-mail exchange regarding my missing pay and me getting a lawyer we haven't spoken. That was about a month ago.
I'd definitely be interested in getting my story out there. I'm honestly less upset about the money at this point and more furious that they are taking advantage of people. I just can't abide by that. I never wanted to be a shit stirrer, nor do I want to possibly ruin my reputation in the industry (I want to work as a narrative designer or game journalist at some point). But I just can't let this shit go on anymore.
I'll PM you my e-mail address and send you the documents and a write up of my experiences/what I saw there.
Honestly the stuff they did to me isn't nearly as bad as what they did to the South Korean workers. The one worker I befriended was refused vacation time for months, and basically forced to go to Berlin after being lied to about only going to Spain for a few weeks. They arrived with nothing and weren't even allowed to go back home to get any of their belongings.
Thanks. I sent you email. I'll let others know asap when the article is published.
About the questions I mentioned in the email:
1. Did Clauf have anything to do with Azubu besides sharing the office and the investor? Can you look up name of the other company you mentioned if it doesn't take much time to look it up?
2. About the investor you mentioned, what was his ethnicity? Was he Korean? If you read OP's post and some other posts by me, you will know who Seok Ki Kim, Llars Windhorst, and some other co-workers of llars, do you recognize any of them?
3. I don't really understand the story you got from Park. What's the relationship between Azubu Europe and Azubu Interactive. Which one were you employed at? Where did Park belong to? As far as I know, Park was co-founder of Azubu. Did investors fire him? Besides Azubu Korea and Azubu NA, I still don't understand why they founded Azubu Europe and Azubu interactive in the same city. If you were employed at Azubu Interactive, where did employees of Azubu Europe work at? Was one of these two just paper company that had no office?
I thought two Azubu companies were basically the same company, so I don't really understand the part where Park said Azubu Europe sent cease and desist letters to Azubu Interactive. I understand you were an intern and may not know all the politic stuff that happened in the company, but please tell us anything that you know of.
On August 10 2013 03:21 anemoneya wrote: Thanks. I sent you email. I'll let others know asap when the article is published.
About the questions I mentioned in the email:
1. Did Clauf have anything to do with Azubu besides sharing the office and the investor? Can you look up name of the other company you mentioned if it doesn't take much time to look it up?
2. About the investor you mentioned, what was his ethnicity? Was he Korean? If you read OP's post and some other posts by me, you will know who Seok Ki Kim, Llars Windhorst, and some other co-workers of llars, do you recognize any of them?
3. I don't really understand the story you got from Park. What's the relationship between Azubu Europe and Azubu Interactive. Which one were you employed at? Where did Park belong to? As far as I know, Park was co-founder of Azubu. Did investors fire him? Besides Azubu Korea and Azubu NA, I still don't understand why they founded Azubu Europe and Azubu interactive in the same city. If you were employed at Azubu Interactive, where did employees of Azubu Europe work at? Was one of these two just paper company that had no office?
I thought two Azubu companies were basically the same company, so I don't really understand the part where Park said Azubu Europe sent cease and desist letters to Azubu Interactive. I understand you were an intern and may not know all the politic stuff that happened in the company, but please tell us anything that you know of.
I can also answer these questions. As I mentioned earlier I have done my homework on this case. I'm also in contact with "Coraliine".
If you don't mind we take our time answering some questions though. These things are quite delicate.
Pictures of 3 individuals who work at clauf are here: http://clauf.com/
That third guy, CMO, is from OGN.
The Azubu Korea (former?) director, Lee Hyunggeun, and him are buddies.
Dr. Kim Seokki is the investor, everyone knew him at the Korea branch, he was akin to God. I don't think a single Korean there knew of Lars Windhorst, or Silverio Park. Some Koreans were sent to Berlin in 2011-12, they might know Park.
I really do think that they wanted to be good, but the director, Lee, is just a complete moron and extremely xenophobic. The company had no direction, would work all hours of the day to produce nothing. Just a ridiculous company.
EPT
