The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC; Chairperson Seo Tae-geon) announced that it appointed 10 members to the 'Gacha Item Damage Relief Subcommittee' (the 'Subcommittee') on Tuesday, April 28, and held the first Subcommittee meeting to deliberate and resolve on damage relief applications submitted to the 'Gacha Item Damage Relief Center' (the 'Center').

To operate the 'Dispute Resolution Subcommittee' (the 'Subcommittee'), the GRAC established a foundation under the 'Gacha Item Dispute Resolution Center Operating Regulations' (the 'Center Regulations'). Drawing on operational benchmarks from organizations like the Korea Consumer Agency, the GRAC appointed 10 members with extensive experience and expertise across various fields, including user advocacy groups, industry associations, legal experts, and specialists from relevant institutions. The GRAC plans to further strengthen the Subcommittee's expertise by appointing specialists from a broader range of fields as the gaming market environment evolves.

The 10 newly appointed members will perform deliberation and resolution duties for cases prepared through damage consultation and investigation, in accordance with the Center's operational regulations and Article 33-2, Paragraph 5 of the Game Industry Promotion Act. Their duties include: △ reviewing the appropriateness of damage relief measures, and △ deciding on reinvestigations for cases previously closed by the Center. Subcommittee members serve a one-year term (renewable), and meetings require a quorum of a majority of the members, with resolutions passed by a majority vote of those present. Following the appointment ceremony, the first Subcommittee meeting was held, during which three of the eight damage relief cases submitted since the Center's launch on Friday, February 27, were reported.

Since the opening of the Resolution Center, the GRAC has handled 228 consultations related to gacha items, providing: △ guidance on relief procedures and reporting methods, △ investigations and administrative actions regarding illegal practices such as inaccurate probability disclosures, and △ responses to other general inquiries regarding gacha items.

Currently, eight relief applications are under investigation to determine potential illegality and the extent of damages. Furthermore, the GRAC is collaborating with specialized probability verification agencies to investigate recent controversies involving misstated or false probabilities. The GRAC stated that it will strive to ensure appropriate relief for users based on the results of these professional investigations.

In addition, to strengthen the protection of game users regarding damage relief or dispute mediation cases that do not fall under the category of gacha items as defined by the Game Industry Promotion Act, the GRAC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Content Dispute Mediation Committee last January and plans to integrate their respective case-processing systems. The two organizations have already held two working-level meetings regarding the technical details of the integration and plan to continue discussions with the goal of linking their systems in the second half of this year. Once the systems are integrated, game users will be able to receive 'one-stop' damage relief, as the two organizations will process cases according to pre-agreed procedures regardless of which agency the user initially contacts.

During the appointment ceremony, GRAC Chairperson Seo Tae-geon emphasized, "The role of the Subcommittee members is more critical than ever to ensure swift and fair relief for user damages related to gacha items." He added, "We will continue to build an institutional foundation to strengthen user protection."