Fourteen South Korean representatives have joined South Korean politician Shin Eui-jin to introduce a bill grouping online games with alcohol, gambling and drugs as activities in need stricter regulation due to their addictive nature.
The legislation intends to give the government authority to apply the same legal restrictions to online games as alcohol and drugs.
“The governing body shall have the right to regulate the manufacturing, distribution and sale of addictive substances and can limit promotion of them as well,” according to a draft of the bill. If games are included as industries targeted for the new legislation, this could grant the government the authority to regulate game development, release and marketing in Korea.
The proposed bill is still awaiting vote by South Korea’s National Assembly.
