[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The Game Rating and Administration Committee, which faced controversy over the 'rubber band rating classification,' announced that it will fully disclose meeting minutes going forward and increase the number of members in the Subcommittee on Ex Officio Reclassification from three to five. This move aims to resolve the controversy over 'closed-door reviews' and strengthen the committee's expertise.
"We will disclose meeting minutes and increase the number of members"
On the 10th, the Game Rating and Administration Committee held a press conference at its metropolitan office in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, announcing the 'Plan to Strengthen Communication with Game Users' with these details.
The plan includes four areas with 13 detailed action tasks: ▲Enhancing transparency in the rating classification process ▲Monitoring ex officio reclassification and strengthening committee expertise ▲Establishing a permanent communication channel for game users ▲Improving civil complaint services.
The committee first actively reflected game users' demands for transparency by deciding to openly disclose decision-making processes. Moving away from the previous method of releasing meeting minutes only upon information disclosure requests, the committee will proactively publish minutes of rating classifications, ex officio reclassifications, and subcommittee meetings on its website.
Kim Kyuchul, chairman of the Game Rating and Administration Committee, said, "We emphasize that the information we produce is public information and have asked for agreement to disclose meeting minutes, but some members did not want such opinions to be made public. We persuaded the members, and going forward, meeting minutes will be proactively disclosed as a basic rule before any requests from complainants."
The committee plans to finalize detailed measures regarding the method, timing, and procedures for disclosing meeting minutes and complete related regulatory revisions within the year. Additionally, if there are objections during the ex officio reclassification process, the committee will incorporate opinions from external game experts as well as game producers and developers to ensure transparent decision-making through institutional improvements.
Furthermore, the committee will hold a mock rating classification experience program twice a year for game users to help them understand the criteria, methods, and procedures of rating classification.
Reflecting recent criticisms about the committee's expertise, it will also strengthen professionalism in the ex officio reclassification process. The number of members in the Subcommittee on Ex Officio Reclassification will be expanded from three to five, with two additional external game experts appointed.
The committee will also enhance monitoring of games subject to ex officio reclassification. Currently, cross-monitoring is conducted about twice for games near age rating boundaries, but this will be increased to up to three times, and monitoring reports will be detailed to strengthen the professionalism and objectivity of monitoring tasks.
Additionally, if necessary, in-depth monitoring involving external game expert consultations will be utilized to further enhance expertise regarding ex officio reclassified games. When hiring monitoring personnel, preference will be given to those with degrees in game studies or experience in the game industry to secure professional staff, and efforts will be made to cultivate game experts within the committee through strengthened internal staff training.
Moreover, the committee will institutionalize quarterly 'Dialogue with Game Users' sessions to promote direct communication with game users and improve the environment to make it easier for complainants to visit the committee.
Chairman Kim stated, "During the early and growth stages of Korea's game industry, game companies were at the center of the industry, but now that the industry has matured, the role of game users is more important than ever. We will continue to create opportunities to hear the thoughts and voices of game users directly on site."
On the 'rubber band review' controversy: "It was according to relevant laws"
At the press conference, the committee also addressed controversies related to rating reviews, such as the 'Blue Archive' being rated as restricted to youth and 'Bada Shin 2' receiving an all-ages rating.
The committee explained, "When the developer of Blue Archive applied for game rating classification through a self-rating business operator, they responded that the game did not include sexual themes or expressions, so it was initially classified as suitable for ages 15 and older. However, monitoring revealed that the game contained physical exposure of key body parts and audio implying sexual acts, and according to relevant laws, it was decided to classify the game as restricted to youth."
Regarding Bada Shin 2, the committee said, "Although the concept and graphics are similar to Bada Iyagi, which determines results by chance elements, Bada Shin 2's results are determined by user skill, and it complies with the Game Industry Act, including limits on hourly spending. If the game is illegally modified or distributed in a gambling manner, we will thoroughly crack down on illegal activities through on-site inspections."
The committee also stated that if an audit is conducted on the post-management system of game ratings following a recent national audit request, it will sincerely comply with the audit according to relevant laws and procedures. Previously, Lee Sangheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, revealed allegations of misconduct by exposing that two out of five post-management systems outsourced by the committee with 4 billion KRW in tax money were not functioning properly.
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