**”Inclusion of ‘Games’ Not in Mental Health Welfare Act is Arbitrary Interpretation of Law… Goes Against Cultural Industry,”** states the Korean Game Users Association, led by Chairman Lee Chul-woo, a lawyer. On the 17th, the association announced that it had submitted a public petition against the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s decision to include ‘internet games’ as a target for addiction management at the Integrated Support Center for Addiction Management without legal basis, and had requested the disclosure of related information.
In the petition, the association pointed out that including ‘games’ as a target for addiction management, although not specified in the “Act on the Promotion of Mental Health and Support for Welfare Services for Mental Illness Patients” (Mental Health Welfare Act), distorts the interpretation of the law and has a negative impact on game culture and industry.
Currently, the official website of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s mental health policy guide and several regional integrated addiction management centers specify ‘internet games’ as a target for addiction management alongside ‘alcohol,’ ‘drugs,’ and ‘gambling.’ The Seongnam City Integrated Addiction Management Center previously caused controversy by utilizing this inclusion in an addiction prevention contest.
According to the association, Article 15-3, Paragraph 1 of the Mental Health Welfare Act regulates the focus of addiction management centers as ‘addiction issues related to alcohol, drugs, gambling, and the internet,’ but does not specify ‘games.’ Therefore, the association claims that the Ministry’s arbitrary inclusion of ‘games’ constitutes administrative misuse.
The association’s investigation found that about 10 centers, including ones in Seongnam, Paju, Gimhae, and Saha-gu in Busan, explicitly listed ‘internet games’ as one of the four major targets for addiction management. Approximately 40 out of 60 centers used the term ‘game addiction’ either directly or indirectly.
In response, the association submitted a public petition to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, demanding immediate removal of ‘games’ from the addiction management categories on its website and advising regional centers, including Seongnam, not to list games as addiction targets.
Additionally, the association has filed for the disclosure of supporting documents, decision-making processes, and internal guidelines related to the inclusion of ‘internet games’ as an addiction management target.
Chairman Lee Chul-woo stated, “The 2022 revision of the Culture and Arts Promotion Act designated games as culture and art, and a 2024 Gallup Korea survey found that games are the most popular hobby among Koreans. Treating games as an addiction is an administrative approach that goes against contemporary trends and public perception.”
The Korean Game Users Association has formed a task force within the association to address the pathologization of gaming and announced that it will consider legal actions based on the outcomes of the petition and information disclosure request.