President Lee Jae Myung directed the government to consider expanding or shifting the oversight body for the gaming industry during a closed-door meeting with major game company executives last week, sources said Wednesday.
According to multiple industry officials, President Lee met with the founders and CEOs of Korea’s top gaming companies — including Kim Chang-han of Krafton, Bang Jun-hyuk of Netmarble, Kim Taek-jin of NCSoft, Sung Joon-ho of Smilegate and Bae Tae-geun of Neowiz — at PUBG Seongsu in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, on Oct. 15.
During the meeting, the executives called on the government to treat the gaming industry as a strategic sector and to respond more proactively to changes in the global gaming market. They also raised concerns over the rigidity of Korea’s 52-hour workweek regulation and asked for more flexibility.
One executive complained that commission fees charged by global platforms such as Google Play and Apple’s App Store were excessive, and that communication between these platforms and domestic companies was lacking. In response, President Lee reportedly asked which government agency was in charge of managing these issues. Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young replied that there is a department within the Korea Creative Content Agency (Kocca).
“That seems far too small considering the size of the industry and the seriousness of the issues,” President Lee reportedly said, instructing officials to consider expanding or reorganizing the responsible government body.
According to the “2024 Korea Game White Paper” published by the Kocca in March, Korea’s gaming industry was valued at approximately 23 trillion won ($16 billion) in 2023.
Some attendees also pointed out a policy gap between Korea and China. While the Chinese government controls access to its domestic market by effectively limiting Korean companies, the Korean government does not enforce user protection regulations on Chinese games operating in Korea — a disparity seen as unfair. President Lee reportedly responded by saying he would “talk to China about it,” surprising some participants with his willingness to engage directly.
Krafton CEO Kim emphasized the importance of supporting mid-sized and smaller game studios that form the backbone of the industry. “If a dedicated policy fund is created to support these companies, Krafton would consider co-investing,” he said. President Lee responded by saying he “strongly agreed,” and added, “The fundamental problem is that we’ve historically seen the gaming industry not as something to promote, but as something to regulate and suppress. That’s why there’s been little enthusiasm for policy funds.”
According to one participant, the president was so engaged in the discussion that spokesperson Kang Yu-jung noted many other CEOs had yet to speak. “You could tell that he has a deep understanding of the industry, perhaps due to his long history of involvement since his time as mayor of Seongnam,” the participant said.
The Game Culture Foundation and the Korea Association of Game Industry released a joint statement on Sunday welcoming the president’s interest and support, calling it “a foundation upon which Korea can grow into a global content powerhouse with gaming at the center.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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