With 11 associations and organizations across the content industry in South Korea, including gaming, coming together tightly. On September 15, they officially launched the 'K-Content Industry Council', announcing ambitious goals to achieve 220 trillion won in revenue, $27 billion in exports, 750,000 workers, and 146,000 companies by 2030. These figures are calculated by integrating individual projections that factor in the growth rates and export structures of each content sector, including gaming.

Six common tasks were announced during the vision proclamation ceremony. These include the full expansion of tax credits for content production costs, the enhancement of policy financing such as the Mother Fund, the improvement of flexible working hours reflecting the characteristics of the content industry, the support for AI transition and the establishment of a copyright framework, the reinforcement of policies to boost content demand, and the establishment of an integrated governance and strategic export support system.

There are also sector-specific goals and tasks. For the gaming sector, the targets for 2030 are set at 36.7 trillion won in revenue, $14.88 billion in exports, 107,000 workers, and 12,600 companies. Individual core tasks include urging the passage of the fully amended Promotion of the Game Industry Act (hereinafter referred to as the Game Act), improving regulations on prizes, and exempting all-ages games from mandatory identity verification and legal representative consent requirements.

In the past, content industry associations have attempted to speak with one voice, but yielded little practical results. How are the representative organizations of the gaming industry preparing to ensure history does not repeat itself? Gamemeca sat down for detailed interviews with Kim Hyun-gyu, Senior Vice President of the Korea Mobile Game Association, and Choi Seung-hoon, Policy Director of the Korea Games Industry Association, to find out.

Kim Hyun-gyu, Senior Vice President of the Korea Mobile Game Association, drew attention to the fact that lobbying efforts aimed at the government and the National Assembly could gain significantly more leverage. Having engaged in government relations for nearly 20 years, Kim Hyun-gyu pointed out that when individual organizations operated separately, their focus tended to be scattered. Expressing high expectations, Kim Hyun-gyu noted that the coalition of 11 associations would allow for a much stronger, unified voice to be delivered to the government and the National Assembly.

The absolute top priority is passing the full amendment to the Game Act. Among other things, Kim Hyun-gyu stated, "With the Korea Creative Content Agency spinning off a separate Game Promotion Agency and the Game Rating and Administration Committee being phased out, it is high time the gaming industry focused on promotion rather than regulation," adding that, "A dedicated gaming account must be created within the Korea Culture and Arts Foundation's Mother Fund, and reforming production cost taxes goes without saying."

Aside from these points, issues were raised regarding the Game White Paper, which is based on data from two years ago and proves difficult to use when establishing practical strategies in the field, as well as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's disappointing '6.0 billion won blockbuster game production support fund,' which has garnered little sympathy from the industry. Kim Hyun-gyu remarked, "When the government announced plans to support a 6.0 billion won blockbuster, harsh criticism ran rampant across the industry. You can never build a blockbuster with 6.0 billion won, and funding the whole thing with taxpayer money makes no sense either," emphasizing that production cost tax credits are a far more realistic support measure.

When multiple sector associations gather, there is always a risk that individual competing agendas will cause the coalition to dissolve or lose direction due to a lack of a central hub. Kim Hyun-gyu noted, "We previously had the Culture Industry Policy Consultative Body, but things simply did not align back then. This time, the vibe is entirely different, and there is a genuine sense of desperation among the associations. Externally, the impact of AI is also immense. Other associations share a deep sense of crisis that AI might wipe out all their jobs. The gaming sector cannot take this lightly either, and we must strike a proper balance between management efficiency and employment issues."

Furthermore, Cho Young-ki, Chairman of the Korea Games Industry Association, has taken on the role of co-representative for the council, with Choi Seung-hoon serving as secretary. Kim Hyun-gyu added that Kim Hyun-gyu personally puts forward many policy proposals. In short, the voice of the gaming sector will not be marginalized or reduced to a minor fraction within the coalition. Regular monthly meetings are planned to discuss concrete execution plans and materialize effective cooperative models, such as exchange meetings with the Chinese market.

Expanding into something resembling an 'IP Committee' is also under consideration. Kim Hyun-gyu stated, "The phrase 'one source, multi-use' has been thrown around endlessly, and there was a strong consensus that a single IP can spawn various types of content. Today (September 15), we even discussed initiating an MOU between the Mobile Game Association and the Korea Animation Industry Association," adding, "Personally, I would love to expand this into a format akin to Japan's IP Committee. South Korea has yet to see a case where a single IP achieved massive success across multiple content formats. I believe we need to create that very first stepping stone." An integrated white paper encompassing all content was also proposed as a future idea.

Choi Seung-hoon, Policy Director of the Korea Games Industry Association, also explained that the association chose to join the council to find solutions against the eroding foundation of the content industry, making it clear that they intend to carry out common tasks without losing gaming at the core. Choi Seung-hoon stated, "Since the erosion of our common foundation is the root of the problem, the solution must also start from redesigning it. When the Korea Games Industry Association speaks alone versus when every content genre speaks together, the weight behind it is fundamentally different."

Taking production tax support as an example, Choi Seung-hoon noted, "If gaming acts alone, it is merely a long-cherished project of the gaming industry, but when gaming, music, and publishing unite, it becomes a matter of 'tax equity.' Across-the-board surveys of all associations showed that tax credits and policy financing consistently ranked as the top two common priorities." Choi Seung-hoon added, "The effect of learning from each other's experiences is far from negligible. The video and webtoon sectors already receive production tax credits and know the pitfalls of the operational process. When that experience expands to gaming, music, and publishing, it becomes an immediate asset."

When opinions are gathered to encompass the entire content sector, the arenas and perspectives addressing core issues shift as well. Choi Seung-hoon emphasized, "The overseeing ministries and standing committees expand. Tax credits fall under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, while flexible working hours fall under the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Asking alone as the gaming industry versus requesting together as every content genre creates a completely different approach." Choi Seung-hoon continued, "The framing changes too. Even when gaming talks about promotion, discussions always regress into gambling and youth protection debates. However, in forums discussing the growth stagnation of the industry as a whole, gaming is recognized first and foremost as a key foundational industry responsible for 57.7% of exports." Additionally, the council is calling for the establishment of a regular consultative channel with the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee to ensure policy continuity.

Passing the full amendment to the Game Act remains the responsibility of the association. Choi Seung-hoon stated, "While the industry has reorganized around mobile, console, and cloud platforms, the law has undergone over thirty amendments that merely pile on regulations while keeping promotion at a purely declarative level. We must redesign the 20-year-old regulatory framework centering on promotion, with the goal of processing it within the year." Choi Seung-hoon added, "Pending issues like the full amendment of the Game Act or the ratings classification system will be negotiated directly with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Game Rating and Administration Committee, bypassing the council. Our fundamental policy is to separate the tasks handled by the council from those handled directly by the association and pursue them in parallel."

Ultimately, the shared goal is to shift the policy perspective toward the content industry. Choi Seung-hoon explained, "Current systems still treat content through a manufacturing framework. The unique characteristics of the industry—such as having no factories or inventory to use as collateral, and generating zero revenue for years prior to launch despite heavy investments—are not reflected in current regulations." Choi Seung-hoon answered, "Simply increasing the budget is not enough. There must be a transformation in policy combinations covering taxes, finance, regulations, and legislation. This is why the council is presenting target figures and policy tools together this time."

Specifically, this entails transitioning tax reforms toward universal deductions that recognize failures as a cost from the perspective of sharing production risks rather than supporting R&D, shifting financial support away from risk-averse operations into a continuum of subsidies, guarantees, loans, and investments, and completely redesigning the legal system from regulation to promotion. Choi Seung-hoon explained, "If current policy and budget levels are maintained, revenue in 2030 will stall at 205.9 trillion won, and even with a 10% annual budget increase, we will still fall short of the 220 trillion won target."