Shim Jong-seop, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, announced in a briefing on the 22nd that 164 initial tasks for the 'National Normalization Project' have been finalized to address deep-seated irrationalities and expedient practices. The project officially includes measures to 'eradicate illegal private game servers,' with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated as the lead agency.

To combat the operation of illegal private game servers, the government is considering the introduction of punitive damages and new administrative fines. The plan also includes an emergency blocking system to curb the spread of illegal programs and servers early, thereby increasing the effectiveness of enforcement.

These measures were developed through the 'National Normalization Task Force,' an inter-agency body launched in April. Chaired by the Prime Minister, the task force is overseen by Kim Young-soo, First Vice Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, to manage inter-agency task adjustments and implementation. The government has been identifying on-site tasks by operating task forces across all 50 central administrative agencies.

The government plans to classify tasks not included in this initial list as internal projects to be pursued under the responsibility of the relevant ministries. "The National Normalization Project is not a one-off initiative, but a systematization of the work the government should naturally be doing," said Director Shim. "We will manage the process and ensure tangible results."

The domestic game industry has long raised concerns over asset infringement caused by illegal private servers. According to data from the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, a total of 177100 illegal private servers have been detected over the past five years. However, critics have pointed out the need for more effective sanctions, as few cases lead to judicial punishment or prison sentences. The proposed punitive damages and emergency blocking measures are seen as necessary legal safeguards to protect the gaming ecosystem.

This government measure aligns with the strong response ordered by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young during a meeting with the Game Rating and Administration Committee last January. At that time, Minister Choi pointed out the scale of industrial damage caused by illegal private servers and ordered the immediate preparation of countermeasures.

"Research shows that 2.3 million people use illegal private servers annually, resulting in ₩360 billion in industry losses," Minister Choi noted. "A situation involving 2.3 million citizens is an issue we cannot ignore." He further questioned why the matter had been neglected, stating, "Operating a private server requires stealing source code or hacking, which is clearly organized crime," implying that the issue involves copyright infringement and serious criminal activity.

Seo Tae-geon, Chairman of the Game Rating and Administration Committee, highlighted the limitations in enforcement. "Illegal private server operators enjoy high profits relative to their investment, while enforcement remains difficult," Chairman Seo explained. "Over the past six years, only 27 cases have reached final verdicts, and most resulted in suspended sentences or fines of around ₩5 million, indicating that the level of punishment is too low."

Minister Choi criticized the inadequate legal standards and emphasized a shift in sentencing criteria. "Punishments have been lenient because they were treated merely as cases of unrated games," he argued. "While the review process is underway, operators simply change their URLs to evade tracking." He added, "There are ways to punish them under current law, and it is unacceptable to leave these avenues unused."

Following the finalization of these National Normalization tasks, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to accelerate the amendment of legislation and the refinement of systems to ensure that illegal private server operators can be severely punished.