South Korean authorities are tightening control over video games: piracy and loot boxes are the main evils of the industry.

South Korean Authorities Tighten Control Over Video Games: Pirate Servers and Loot Boxes Are the Main Evils of the Industry

The South Korean Game Management Committee will begin a reorganization in 2026. It will move away from assigning age ratings, focusing instead on market oversight and user protection. The authority to classify mobile games will be transferred to the private sector, with the exception of arcade machines and projects with gambling elements. Resources will be directed towards creating a Center for Combating Loot Box Fraud and implementing artificial intelligence for monitoring. Control over foreign companies will be strengthened through mandatory local representatives.

Minister of Culture Choi Hwi-young stated that illegal servers and loot box manipulation are serious crimes. The annual damage from pirate servers is estimated at 360 billion won with over two million users. The agency will tighten its approach to violations. Code hacking and the creation of shadow infrastructure will be equated with organized crime, leading to harsher punishments.