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President Lee Jae-Myung: “Games Are Not Addictive Substances, but a Cultural Industry.”

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President Lee Jae-Myung: “Games Are Not Addictive Substances, but a Cultural Industry.”

https://www.inven.co.kr/webzine/news/?news=310388

On the 15th, President Lee Jae-myung stated, “The government’s goal is to make Korea a global cultural industry powerhouse, and I believe the game industry is an important part of that.”

President Lee made these remarks during the “K-Game Industry Forum: Leveling Up to the World’s Top 3 Game Powerhouses” held at PUBG’s headquarters in Seongsu, Seoul. “It’s great to meet those of you running game companies and working as professional gamers,” he said. The meeting was attended by the heads of major gaming companies including Nexon, Krafton, Netmarble, and NCSoft.

Greeting NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin, Lee said, “It’s been a long time since we last met—it seems things have been tough lately,” recalling his days as mayor of Seongnam. He added, “Even back then, I had a deep interest in the game industry and its equity issues, and we discussed and supported the sector through various policies. The Pangyo area near Seongnam plays a major role in that, doesn’t it?”

Lee criticized past administrations for labeling games as one of the “four major addictions.” “Because of policies focused on regulation rather than support, we were overtaken by China even though we had been ahead,” he said.

Addressing concerns over gaming addiction, he drew a comparison to comic books. “When I was young, reading comics was seen as something only kids who didn’t study did. I even used to go drag my brother out of comic shops,” he said. “But now, comics, animation, and webtoons have become major industries.”

He continued, “Games are meant to be fun—immersion is part of what makes them games. Of course, side effects should be managed, but as people will naturally have more free time in the future, how they spend it will become important. We should see this as an opportunity.” He added, “We shouldn’t abandon an entire field just because there are some problems. That’s like getting rid of all storage jars just because there are thieves.”

President Lee also emphasized the game industry’s potential to create quality youth jobs. “It’s great when a game succeeds and brings higher revenue and profit to a company, but my concern is whether the young people working there also share in those benefits and opportunities,” he said.

However, he also stressed balance regarding developers’ working conditions. Speaking about calls for “focused work” during development, he remarked, “Developers might not complain in front of their bosses, but behind the scenes, they’re saying they’re exhausted—the lights never go off, as the saying goes.”

He added, “We must ensure young employees have their basic rights protected and aren’t treated as disposable. We need to wisely balance these conflicting issues.”

Lee went on to note, “I heard Battlegrounds made 2.7 trillion won in revenue last year, yet only employs a few hundred people. That shows how much it contributes to national wealth. For a resource-poor, export-driven country like Korea, game exports are true exports.”

Concluding, he told attendees, “Have pride as leaders of Korea’s cultural industry, and keep working passionately and bravely,” adding firmly, “Games are not addictive substances.”

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