The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) inadvertently revealed some details about unreleased games on the 26th, when its rating classifications were published on the official gazette. The titles in question, 'Lego Skyline' and 'Persona 4 Revival', have since garnered significant attention from gamers worldwide amidst the unexpected news.

This incident follows a similar security breachfrom Indonesia's game classification body in April,marking another instance of information leakage originating from a regulatory agency within approximately a month. While the scale of this leak pales in comparison to the previous one, the recurrence of such leaks through classification bodies is a cause for concern.

In South Korea, specifically, the leakage of new game information during the classification processhas even been formally addressed in parliamentary audits,highlighting it as a long-standing issue. The fact that the classification numbers released on the 26th were not searchable on the GRAC website has led some to speculate that the committee mishandled a developer's request for confidentiality, pointing to procedural flaws.

However, our investigation has revealed that this is not due to procedural shortcomings by the GRAC, but rather a consequence of the current South Korean game law. A GRAC official stated in a conversation with Gamemeca, "The publication on the electronic official gazette is a legitimate procedure mandated by Article 24 of the current Game Industry Promotion Act."

According to the GRAC official, while it's possible to withhold unpublished information upon a developer's request, all games for which a rating has been decided or cancelled must, by law, be published on the agency's website and the official gazette without exception. The GRAC states that it informs developers and distributors of this legal obligation when such confidentiality requests are made.

Under the current game law, any new game intended for release in the South Korean market must undergo a classification process. However, once classified, the game's details are inevitably published on the official gazette. This means that regardless of any 'blind' services the GRAC may offer, creators must accept the unavoidable risk of information disclosure to launch their games domestically.

This situation is bound to significantly undermine the competitiveness of the South Korean game market. As discussions surrounding the revision of the Game Law encompass various aspects such as classification, loot box regulation, and addiction control, it's crucial to simultaneously consider institutional frameworks that can foster trust with global game companies in the domestic market.