Assemblyman Jung Joon-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea (Gwangju Buk-gu-gap, National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee) proposed an amendment to the Game Industry Promotion Act on the 15th, aimed at strengthening penalties for illegal private servers.

According to data submitted to the office of Assemblyman Jung Joon-ho by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Game Rating and Administration Committee, an average of 46,500 illegal private servers are detected annually, with the government taking administrative actions such as blocks or investigation requests for about 37,000 of them. Over the past five years, the number of detected illegal servers has surpassed 170,000, yet only 61 individuals faced legal repercussions, with only five receiving actual prison sentences.

Research from Professor Son Hye-rim of the University of Seoul suggests that approximately 2.3 million people frequent these illegal servers every year, costing the industry an estimated 360 billion KRW annually.

Another issue with illegal private servers is the lack of restrictions on access by minors. All games distributed in Korea undergo age rating by the Game Rating and Administration Committee, ranging from 'All Ages' to 'Adults Only' based on factors like sexual content, violence, and gambling. However, illegal private servers lack identity verification, allowing minors easy access, and are sometimes used to lure users into gambling sites or feature illicit betting mechanics.

To address this, Assemblyman Jung Joon-ho has proposed a bill to increase the effectiveness of enforcement. If an operator is caught running an illegal server that causes financial harm to a gaming company, the bill introduces: ▲ punitive damages up to five times the amount of the loss, and ▲ a clear legal basis for emergency shutdown orders.

Furthermore, the bill seeks to raise the current penalty of up to five years in prison or a 50 million KRW fine to up to seven years in prison or a 100 million KRW fine, bringing the punishment in line with copyright infringement.

An exception is included for cases where game developers permit the operation of private servers, such as with GTA (Grand Theft Auto). The bill introduces a 'crime subject to the victim's complaint' clause, meaning that if the game developer does not wish for the operator to be punished, no charges will be pressed.

Assemblyman Jung Joon-ho stated, "Cutting off the flow of illegal profit through economic sanctions is the practical solution," adding, "I will ensure the National Assembly provides the legislative support to protect the creators and users of our gaming ecosystem in line with the K-content promotion policy of the Lee Jae-myung administration."