Calls for Shutdown System Abolition Continue... Jo Seung-rae Proposes Amendment to Game Industry Act

Jo Seung-rae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] On the 20th, Cho Seung-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced that he has proposed an amendment to the Game Industry Act to abolish the shutdown system.

The current "mandatory shutdown system" stipulated in the Youth Protection Act prohibits providing internet games to youth under the age of 16 during late-night hours from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.

The bill proposed by Rep. Cho aims to delete the provisions related to the "mandatory shutdown system" under the Youth Protection Act and unify it with the current Game Industry Promotion Act's game time selection system. It also includes removing the term "addiction" from measures to prevent game overuse and addiction.

The "mandatory shutdown system" has been continuously debated for abolition due to concerns that it infringes on youths' right to pursue happiness, the freedom of domestic internet game providers to conduct business, and because it overlaps and overregulates alongside the current game time selection system. Recently, Microsoft's game "Minecraft" faced the risk of being rated 19+ in Korea due to the shutdown system, bringing the issue back into public discussion.

Rep. Cho said, "Recently, many lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties have introduced bills to abolish the mandatory shutdown system, which is very desirable from the perspective of promoting Korea's game industry and guaranteeing parents' autonomous rights in child education," adding, "Through this bill, we can complete the abolition of the mandatory shutdown system."

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