South Korea Considers Changes Concerning Video Game Addicts

Video game addiction already keeps the South Korean Military from accepting men required to serve their country, but new laws could introduce more regulations on games

Young South Korean men are expected by law to serve in their military, but an addiction predominantly affecting this group of Koreans could now have them far from combat action and even farther away from video games.

Recommended Videos

According to South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration, South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35 are required by law to perform military service, but are exempt if they have “received six or more months of treatment for alcohol, drug, or video game addiction and has demonstrated ineptitude of carrying to normal duties.”

In South Korea, video games are a multi-million dollar industry evident in their culture. Internet cafes are on street corners, eSports tournaments are a part of television programming, and Chung-Ang University offers a bachelor’s degrees in eSports.

But the same industry embedded in South Korean culture is also being criticized for the addiction associated with it, and new discussions are in place to decide if the South Korean government will classify video games as a major source of addiction.

This classification would allow for more regulations in a country with at least two deaths associated with exhaustion from video games and a published report stating teenagers spending more than two hours a day gaming.

This would not be the first time South Korea saw federal action against video games. In 2012, the government implemented a law mandating that parents of players under 18-years-old give a set time for their children to play video games. This law joins the 2011 Shutdown Law forbidding children under 16-years-old from playing online video games between midnight and 6 a.m.

No one from the South Korean military has yet to offer a comment on potential legislation or impact on selecting soldiers for service.


GameSkinny is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Overwatch 2 Introduces Its First Free Hero in Season 10
Venture holding her drill and Baptise, Zarya, Pharah, and Lifeweaver standing behind her
Read Article Horror Becomes Educational by Teaching Morse Code in SOS: Forgotten Planet
A monster behind a door marked M
Read Article Pocketpair Announced the 10 Most Popular Pals in Palworld
Player looks up to Quivern in Palworld
Read Article Elder Scrolls 6 Gets an Update on the Series’ 30th Anniversary
Eleder Scrolls wizard casting green magic
Read Article This Witchy RPG Is Like Howl’s Moving Castle Brought to Life
A young witch looks to a home built on chicken legs in Reka
Related Content
Read Article Overwatch 2 Introduces Its First Free Hero in Season 10
Venture holding her drill and Baptise, Zarya, Pharah, and Lifeweaver standing behind her
Read Article Horror Becomes Educational by Teaching Morse Code in SOS: Forgotten Planet
A monster behind a door marked M
Read Article Pocketpair Announced the 10 Most Popular Pals in Palworld
Player looks up to Quivern in Palworld
Read Article Elder Scrolls 6 Gets an Update on the Series’ 30th Anniversary
Eleder Scrolls wizard casting green magic
Read Article This Witchy RPG Is Like Howl’s Moving Castle Brought to Life
A young witch looks to a home built on chicken legs in Reka
Author
Chris_Lemus
University of South Florida radio broadcaster and newspaper correspondent. Critically consuming the mass media.