Abominable's ban in some countries

[FirePuppy]

2 years ago, I hear that Abominable got banned in a few areas for some incorrectly labeled map, as seen here:



Now, according to Box Office Mojo, Japan, Korea and Malaysia are not listed in the total gross list, BUT the three actual countries that banned it were Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Here are the sources:

Abominable

www.boxofficemojo.com

DreamWorks’ ‘Abominable’ film banned in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines for showing China’s claim over disputed seas

"We have to engage with them, and they are sensible people...They are just being misled."

globalvoices.org

So how did the Philippines and Vietnam get the movie, while Japan and Korea didn't release it theatrically but also did not ban it?

 

[Thomas the Tank Engine]

Abominable (2019 film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The film was pulled and banned after release in Vietnam and the Philippines, the only one where it was banned before release was Malaysia.

And why didn't they release it in Japan or South Korea? Well not every film gets released in every country, if they feel there's no market for the film in that region (and it's not some big blockbuster film, which this certainly isn't) they're not obligated to release it. And it's not like Japan didn't get the film anyways, it came out on DVD/BD last year.