BUSAN – Korea’s culture minister vowed to make revisions to the decade-long game industry law to help revitalize the gaming industry, Wednesday, saying that he disagrees with viewing it as a disease.

“Gaming is not a disease but a leisure activity. Cultural contents not only enrich our lives but also serve as growth engines for our future.” said Culture Minister Park Yang-woo at the 2019 Korea Game Awards held in Busan. 

He was referring to the World Health Organization’s decision in May to include game addiction as a clinical symptom.

He also vowed that the government will review mid-term and long-term development plans for the local game industry, to support creators’ imagination and innovation.

“The game industry is annually reporting a 9.8 percent growth rate with around $6.4 billion worth exports. It accounts for 8.8 percent of Korea’s trade profit,” Park said.

“If there are unnecessary regulations that hinder the game business, (the government) will review them from the business operators’ perspective as well as include ways to protect the game players.”

This is the first time a culture minister under the Moon Jae-in administration has attended the annual game awards.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)