What is truly "covering up" their mess is not the conflict between the player bases. It's the people who demanded Valko's removal because of issues that his release didn't actually cause, since those problems run much deeper in the company. Being satisfied with Infold’s solution and handling of the situation only helps them avoid accountability as well.
There have been rumors about a new love interest for months, and the "Coming Soon" text on the affinity page has been there for quite some time as well. I have friends who created accounts for the new love interest more than a year ago. Just because the promotional content started recently doesn't mean people couldn't have made accounts in anticipation beforehand.
With “global players,” I meant everyone playing the global version of the game, so JP and KR players could be included if they are playing on the Asia server of the global version. Also, I think some people are upset for political reasons related to aspects of the game involving the East Asia (could be wrong though)
I saw posts on RedNote about the political issues and concerns regarding women's safety, so I was not deceived. I agree that these issues should be addressed properly, but I don't see why removing the new character would resolve them. Instead, they could directly remove the elements that caused discomfort and controversy while improving other aspects of the new character, along with offering apologies, compensation, and proper accountability.