Gwangju's 'eSports Project' Stalled... "Bold Investment Needed"

Differentiation Strategies and Policies Needed, but Project Funding Shrinks Annually
Kim Nayun, Gwangju City Council Member, Says Local Commercial Area-Linked Content Is Urgently Needed

Kim Nayoon, Gwangju City Council member.

A call has been made for bold and differentiated eSports policies in Gwangju City.

Kim Na-yoon, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party, Buk-gu 6), stated during the administrative audit of the Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency under the Gwangju City Culture and Sports Office on the 12th, “It has been five years since the opening of the eSports stadium and four years since the operation of the education center, yet similar projects remain stagnant every year,” adding, “It is time for bold investment with a long-term perspective to make it a regionally specialized project.”

Councilor Kim pointed out, “Since Gwangju City enacted the ‘eSports Promotion Ordinance’ in 2019, it has not established a promotion plan to reflect the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s eSports implementation plan, so proactive policy development is necessary,” and criticized, “The executive branch’s commitment is questionable as they have not conducted even a single essential survey for establishing eSports policies.”

She continued, “The eSports Education Center’s budget this year is 380 million won, which is 25% of the 1.5 billion won in 2021, and the budget for the Asia eSports Industry Support Center has also been continuously reduced from 1.5 billion won in 2022 to 1.1 billion won last year and 960 million won this year,” pointing out, “Although it is time for a high-level strategy based on grassroots expansion projects, the projects are decreasing, and it is difficult to find distinctive new projects.”

Councilor Kim suggested, “Popular tournaments like the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) should be hosted to link with local content, but due to low budget input, these events are being taken away by other cities and provinces every year,” and added, “Tournaments should not just be held simply; efforts should also be made to develop local commercial district-linked content in collaboration with game companies.”

She also emphasized, “eSports is a future new industry with unlimited growth potential, and bold investment is essential,” urging, “Please do your best to enhance Gwangju City’s unique ‘eSports city’ image with differentiated strategies from other cities and provinces.”

Meanwhile, Gwangju City operates eSports tournaments, education centers, and the Asia eSports Industry Support Center in collaboration with the Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency, Honam University, and Chosun University to promote eSports-related projects.

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