On October 23, Representative Kim Seung-soo of the People Power Party urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to expand government support for esports. Rep. Kim explained that among member sports organizations under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) receives the lowest support. According to Rep. Kim, while soccer, baseball, and basketball organizations receive nearly 8 billion won annually, KeSPA received approximately 90 million won.
During the comprehensive audit of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on this day, Rep. Kim asked Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young which sports governing body received the least government funding. When Minister Choi answered that he was not sure, Rep. Kim pointed to KeSPA. He highlighted that despite esports being a "primary medal contributor" that brought home four medals at the last Asian Games, there is a large disparity in support among sports governing bodies. He then requested that support be increased to ensure fairness so that medal-winning sports or emerging disciplines are not left behind.
Rather than berating the government, the questioning focused on highlighting the current state and requesting action. Rep. Kim cited Virtual Taekwondo, which was adopted for the first time at the Nagoya Asian Games, as an example. He pointed out that while Korea is the birthplace of Taekwondo, the country is in a position of playing catch-up in Virtual Taekwondo, to the point where it can hardly be called the home country of the sport. He stated, "To become an AI powerhouse, we must also take an active interest in the sports sector."
He also raised structural issues within the gaming industry. Rep. Kim diagnosed that as the domestic gaming industry grew primarily around mobile games, arcade games and indie games became relatively weakened. He added that he understands the Lee Jae-myung administration is focusing its gaming policy on strengthening competitiveness in areas that have previously been lacking.
Rep. Kim went on to point out that the PC bang industry is suffering compounding difficulties. He argued that abnormal hybrid businesses such as "gametels" have emerged, while commercial trade practices with major game companies also pose a burden. Rep. Kim claimed that Riot Games introduced a new premium service and blocked other games if a PC bang rejected it. Likening this to franchise headquarters abusing their power over franchisees, he criticized that it places an even heavier burden on already struggling PC bangs.
However, the actual measures taken by Riot Games differ from Rep. Kim's claims. In May, Riot Games implemented a policy where games for which a PC bang owner chose not to use paid premium services would no longer be provided to that establishment. Rather than blocking other games for PC bangs that rejected a new service, the system simply excludes only the games that the owner chose to opt out of.
Rep. Kim also demanded concrete answers from the ministry. He asked whether it had ever investigated unfair trade practices between PC bangs and major game publishers or formulated countermeasures. He further inquired whether joint crackdowns with relevant ministries had been conducted on hybrid businesses like gametels and illegal gambling-like arcades, and whether there are plans for future enforcement.
Minister Choi responded, "I will personally see to esports support." He explained, "Esports continues to grow. As the committee chair mentioned earlier, we also face the task of turning domestic games into esports and swiftly bringing them into the category of sports."
Regarding PC bang issues, he promised to assess the current situation. Minister Choi acknowledged that environments for enjoying games, including PC bangs, remain poor and that businesses are suffering additional harm due to unfair practices. He stated, "We will quickly assess the situation and establish corrective measures."
