The personnel hearing report for Choi Hwi-young, the nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has been formally adopted. As the first nominee for the position to hail from the gaming industry, Choi has certainly stirred up a fair bit of expectation among industry insiders.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee reached a bipartisan consensus on the 30th to adopt the report for Choi. During the hearing held on the 29th, Choi made his intent to promote the gaming industry quite clear. He pointed out that the gaming sector generated 154 trillion KRW in revenue and 13.3 billion USD in exports in 2023, branding it a core national industry. Furthermore, Choi plans to establish an innovation strategy for the ecosystem of content creation and distribution, with artificial intelligence serving as the central pillar.

In addition, Choi proposed expanding policy-based financing for content IP growth, tax incentives, R&D innovation in cultural technology, and stronger support for global expansion. Through written responses during the hearing, Choi addressed the diversification of export markets, increased support for small and medium-sized game developers, improvements to industry working conditions, and the elevation of e-sports. Regarding regulations, Choi maintained a cautious stance on probability-based items and the potential legalization of P2E games.

When it came to the 'game disease code,' which has emerged as a hot-button issue for the industry, Choi was explicitly against its introduction. Addressing the matter during the hearing, Choi stated, "If cinema was the most significant cultural emergence of the 20th century, I believe games are that of the 21st. As games constitute a form of comprehensive art and possess the potential to lead the axis of culture and arts, it is not an issue to be approached as a disease."

Addressing criticisms that NHN's web-board games benefited from the 'Sea Story' scandal, Choi disagreed that NHN specifically received such benefits, explaining that the entire gaming industry was experiencing a revenue growth trend at the time. Furthermore, Choi expressed an intention to foster an environment where people can enjoy games safely while preventing illegal operations, leveraging a deep understanding of the web-board game sector.

Before entering the corporate world, Choi worked as a reporter for Yonhap News and YTN. In 2002, he joined NHN as the Head of the Planning Office at the Naver headquarters. Subsequently, he served as the CEO of NHN's domestic business in 2005 and acted as the CEO of NHN from 2007 to 2009. During that tenure, NHN pursued an aggressive business strategy, securing titles such as C9, The Lord of the Rings Online, and Monster Hunter Online, while also expanding its reach by establishing a branch in Japan, a region then considered a wasteland for online games.