The photo shows crowds filling BEXCO in Busan during the opening of G-Star 2024, South Korea’s largest game exhibition, on November 14 last year.
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s gaming community has publicly challenged the Ministry of Health and Welfare, accusing it of overstepping legal boundaries by treating video games as objects of addiction control without clear statutory grounds.
The Korea Game Users Association said on Monday that current mental health legislation does not list games as a subject of addiction management, arguing that the ministry has distorted the law through arbitrary interpretation.
Under the Mental Health and Welfare Act, addiction management centers are designated to address problems related to alcohol, drugs, gambling and the internet, but make no explicit reference to gaming.
The association said it filed a public petition in June last year demanding that the ministry remove references classifying games as an addiction target. More than 1,700 citizens supported the petition, but the ministry responded only this month, well beyond the legal deadline, according to the group.
The reply, it added, failed to address the substance of the complaint and instead reiterated general explanations about the operation of regional addiction support centers.
The dispute has also drawn in other government bodies. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism formally protested the health ministry’s stance last year, while President Lee Jae-myung has publicly stated that games should not be regarded as addictive substances, remarks the association says have been ignored.
President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at a K-game industry roundtable held on October 15 last year at PUBG Seongsu, a game and culture platform operated by South Korean game company Krafton, in Seongdong District, Seoul. (Yonhap)
Gaming advocates argue that official attitudes are out of step with broader social and legal shifts. Video games were formally recognized as a form of culture under a 2022 revision to the Culture and Arts Promotion Act, and a 2024 Gallup Korea survey ranked gaming as the country’s most popular hobby.
Lee Cheol-woo, president of the Korea Game Users Association, said the ministry’s position runs counter not only to the law but also to public opinion and presidential guidance. He added that the group is considering further action and will pursue all available measures to protect the rights of game users.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions within the government over how to regulate digital culture, as policymakers balance public health concerns against the growing economic and cultural significance of South Korea’s gaming industry.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
