According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, four laws including the Music Industry Act, Video Industry Act, Game Industry Act, and Performance Act have been revised and passed in the National Assembly on the 26th, as of the 30th. With these revisions, businesses such as singing practice rooms, PC bangs, cinemas, and performance venues will be able to request identification to confirm the age of individuals entering their premises and restrict access if necessary. This provides a legal basis for businesses to verify the age of patrons, especially in relation to content restrictions for minors or youth access hours. Additionally, the revisions include provisions that exempt businesses from sanctions such as suspension of operations if they fail to confirm the age of youth who have used falsified or borrowed identification, or in cases where they have failed to identify minors engaging in violence or coercion.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has preemptively revised the regulations governing the enforcement of the Game Industry Act and the Music Industry Act to allow businesses to be exempt from administrative penalties when it can be objectively confirmed that they have fulfilled their obligation to verify the identity of minors in situations where youth attempt to access restricted games in PC bangs or use singing practice rooms outside of designated hours or locations.
By expanding the scope of the provisions for exempting businesses from administrative penalties to include cinema operators, game-related businesses, performers, and venue operators, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has established a systematic foundation to protect honest culture industry operators. Following the revision of the four laws, the Ministry plans to hold a follow-up inspection meeting chaired by the Policy Planning Officer on the 30th to discuss future plans, methods for promoting and disseminating system improvements, and other related matters.