South Korea's Democratic Party has once again launched a regulatory offensive against in-game monetization systems, proposing a revised "Game Industry Promotion Act" aimed directly at the criticized "gacha" mechanisms likened to gambling.
According to Inven Global, the amendment submitted by party leader Kim Byung-ki explicitly prohibits the "complete gacha" mechanism—where players must collect a full set of random items to exchange for rare rewards. Additionally, the bill requires developers to disclose refund and exchange policies to prevent players from being unable to claim their rights after purchasing digital content with game currency.
The amendment also grants more regulatory powers to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. If players or organizations question the published drop rates of games, the minister can directly initiate an investigation to verify the accuracy of the data.
Furthermore, the draft proposes a compensation framework for players affected by the shutdown of online games, further enhancing consumer protection.
Kim Byung-ki pointed out that current laws are clearly insufficient in dealing with developers manipulating drop rates or employing complete gacha mechanisms, lacking effective sanctions and allowing an environment that could induce gambling behavior. He emphasized that the new amendment aims to promote a healthier gaming culture and strengthen the protection of player rights.
This is not the first attempt by legislators. During the 21st National Assembly, a similar bill failed to pass due to disputes over its rationality. At that time, the National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism advocated for more empirical research, while the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism maintained a cautious stance, considering enhancing transparency more important than direct legislative bans.
Now, as the call for player rights grows louder, South Korean legislators are trying to push for reform again, and whether it can break through in this session of the National Assembly remains to be seen.
