법무법인(유한) 율촌 | Yulchon LLC

On April 24, 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (the “MCST”) issued a legislative notice regarding a proposed amendment to the Enforcement Decree (the “Enforcement Decree Amendment”) of the Game Industry Promotion Act (“GIPA”), which includes key provisions such as criteria for foreign video game companies mandated to designate a local representative.

Under Article 31-2 newly added to GIPA through the amendment dated October 22, 2024 and taking effect on October 23, 2025, certain video game publishers or providers without an address or place of business in Korea that meet the criteria prescribed by Presidential Decree are required to designate a local representative to fulfill (i) the reporting obligation under Article 31(2) of the GIPA and (ii) the disclosure and labelling obligations under Article 33 of the GIPA. The Enforcement Decree Amendment implements this change to the GIPA by setting forth the criteria for applicability and other details related to the amendment.

The MCST accepted public comments on the Enforcement Decree Amendment until June 4, 2025. The decree may be revised based on the feedback received. In particular, it is anticipated that the scope of application may expand beyond what was initially proposed. The final version of the Enforcement Decree Amendment is scheduled to take effect on October 23, 2025.

This Legal Update provides an overview of the key provisions of the local representative designation policy under the GIPA, focusing on the provisions of the Enforcement Decree Amendment, and examines the potential impact of the policy on the domestic game industry.