South Korea’s ruling party leader calls for stronger esports policy

Jung Chung-rae, Democratic Get together of Korea (DPK) Chief, used his go to to G-STAR 2025 in Busan on November 14th to reaffirm the social gathering’s dedication to Korea’s quickly increasing video games and esports ecosystem.

Jung toured the present flooring at BEXCO earlier than collaborating within the On-site Roundtable on Okay-GAME Future Methods, the place he informed business stakeholders that the sport sector stays ‘one of [Korea’s] key future growth engines.‘

In the course of the roundtable, Jung highlighted his function in sponsoring Korea’s first Recreation Business Promotion Act 20 years in the past. He famous that the panorama has modified dramatically because the mid-2000s, when the concept of codifying ‘esports’ in regulation confronted vital public pushback.

“Again then, folks insisted video games have been simply ‘habit,’” Jung mentioned. “However I stored arguing this was Korea’s future cash-cow business — and we in the end succeeded in passing the regulation.”

Jung used the session to stipulate a long-running observe document of esports advocacy. This included forming a Nationwide Meeting esports caucus, internet hosting a StarCraft event contained in the Nationwide Meeting Library, and serving to launch the previous skilled group MBCGame HERO.

He mentioned he as soon as proposed integrating an esports programme into the Defence Ministry’s Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Sangmu) and inspiring the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee to undertake esports as an official self-discipline — initiatives he described as having “stagnated for twenty years.”

Jung additionally expressed disappointment that the Presidential Award for esports continues to be hardly ever attended by the president themselves.

“I promised that, if I get the prospect to satisfy the president, I’ll formally convey that request,” he mentioned.

Jung emphasised that the upcoming complete revision invoice for the Recreation Business Promotion Act — led by Cho Seung-rae, a DPK consultant — is anticipated to clear the Nationwide Meeting quickly. In keeping with Cho, nevertheless, ministries such because the Ministry of Economic system and Finance “aren’t significantly constructive” about tax incentive measures, although he mentioned he plans to maintain negotiating.

The DPK chief reiterated that esports has been central to Korea’s comfortable energy overseas, pointing to previous milestones similar to particular army service exemptions granted to elite opponents and early Korea–China esports exchanges.

Regardless of lingering public scepticism of gaming, Jung mentioned the Nationwide Meeting should be certain that these working in sport improvement and esports ‘can keep on their companies with better confidence.’ He added that the Lee Jae-myung administration ‘can also be very serious about esports,’ pledging continued engagement with the business.

G-STAR 2025, Korea’s largest video games commerce present, runs by means of November seventeenth and contains a slate of publishers, esports showcases and enterprise conferences.