The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced on the 9th that it is pre-announcing a revised legislative proposal for the Enforcement Decree of the Game Industry Promotion Act.

Previously, the MCST amended the Game Industry Promotion Act last October, mandating that overseas game companies of a certain scale appoint a domestic representative. In April, the ministry followed up with a legislative notice detailing the specific criteria for these overseas firms. The mandate applies to companies with: ▲ Total annual revenue exceeding 1 trillion KRW, and ▲ An average of 100,000 monthly domestic users between October and December of the previous year.

However, critics argued that the criteria were set too high, potentially leading to reverse discrimination against domestic game companies. This re-legislative effort reflects industry feedback; the new criteria target those with: ▲ Total annual revenue exceeding 1 trillion KRW, and ▲ Games with an average of 1,000 or more new mobile installations per day. While the revenue threshold remains, the user count requirement has been replaced with annual installation frequency.

Furthermore, a domestic representative must be appointed if the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism deems it necessary, particularly in instances where significant harm to game users has occurred or is likely to occur. A new clause has also been added, empowering the Game Rating and Administration Committee to verify compliance with these domestic representative requirements.

The amendment is set to take effect on October 23, with the MCST accepting public feedback until August 18.