China Grants Korean Game License After 4 Years "Government Must Provide Detailed Support for Game Approval" (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] There have been calls for the government to take a more proactive role, including mediation, following the issuance of a Chinese game license (game service permit in China) to a Korean game for the first time in four years.

"Government Should Request Cooperation from China to Protect Domestic Game Companies from License Brokers"

On the 7th, Kim Seung-su, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the People Power Party, issued a press release stating, "For the acquisition of game licenses to be sustained rather than a one-time event, the government must take a more active lead."

On the 2nd, the Chinese National Press and Publication Administration issued a foreign-invested game license to Com2uS's "Summoners War: Sky Arena." The game license is a permit required to provide game services in China. It is divided into domestic licenses applied for by Chinese companies and foreign-invested licenses for foreign products.

Kim said, "Since only one game has been granted the license, it is difficult to conclude that the gate has been opened for all Korean games, so the future is crucial," urging detailed policy support.

In particular, Kim pointed out the issue of license brokers. According to him, license brokers exploit the Chinese cultural characteristic of "guanxi" (meaning relationships) to demand money, promising to facilitate the license issuance. It is known that one major domestic game company was deceived by a license broker and is currently pursuing a civil lawsuit.

Kim emphasized, "License brokers operate targeting game companies within the industry, and as license issuance delays, APK (Android program files) or source codes are illegally leaked, causing frequent intellectual property (IP) damages to small and medium-sized game companies. The government must directly request cooperation from China regarding the license issuance process and remedies for damages occurring during exports."

He added, "Since the Chinese market has been uncertain for a long time, it is very important for the government to meticulously prepare accurate information delivery and corporate support measures related to game licenses."

"Game Industry Must Also Take Active Steps"

There are also calls for joint responses from the government and the game industry to secure additional game licenses.

The Korea Game Society (President Professor Wi Jeong-hyun of Chung-Ang University) issued a statement on the same day, urging the government and the game industry to actively address the license issue, saying, "Strike while the iron is hot."

They stated, "China is issuing only about one-tenth of the licenses compared to the past," and "It is clear that countries will compete fiercely over the limited number of foreign-invested licenses."

The Korea Game Society emphasized, "Pending Korean game licenses will not be automatically issued," and "Korea must continuously apply pressure for additional license issuance."

They further explained, "While there are no obstacles to Chinese games entering Korea, Korean games are blocked from entering China due to the license system. This point must be strongly appealed domestically and internationally," adding, "How many licenses Korea obtains in the future will be an important measure in Korea-China cultural and industrial cooperation."

They also noted, "The current US-China trade friction and international situation are important tools that can be utilized to resolve the license issue," and "The more China needs Korea, the more the Korean government should demand the removal of unreasonable regulations in the content industry, including the game industry."

Addressing game companies, they said, "It is wrong for the game industry, which is both the problem owner and the biggest beneficiary, to remain passive and expect others to solve the issue," urging, "If individual companies find it burdensome, collective and organized efforts are necessary."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.