South Korea legally recognizes video games as form of culture and art

Video games are now officially recognized as culture and art in South Korea. Developers will now be able to receive state support and participate in various cultural projects.

The partial amendment to South Korea’s Culture and Arts Promotion Act passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on September 7, GameMeca reported. It was first proposed in 2020 by Seungrae Cho, representative of the Democratic Party of Korea. 

Animation and musicals were also recognized as forms of culture and art in this amendment. This happened 50 years after the Culture and Arts Promotion Act was enacted in the country.

“Games are a filial industry that accounts for more than half of the domestic content industry’s exports,” Cho said. “If games are recognized as culture and art, negative perceptions will be improved and vitality will be added to the game industry.”

This new status will let South Korean game developers receive arts-related support from the government and participate in cultural and artistic projects supported by local authorities.