Jung Chung-rae, Democratic Social gathering of Korea (DPK) Chief, used his go to to G-STAR 2025 in Busan on November 14th to reaffirm the celebration’s dedication to Korea’s quickly increasing video games and esports ecosystem.
Through the roundtable, Jung highlighted his function in sponsoring Korea’s first Sport Trade Promotion Act twenty years in the past. He famous that the panorama has modified dramatically because the mid-2000s, when the concept of codifying ‘esports’ in legislation confronted vital public pushback.
“Again then, individuals insisted video games have been simply ‘habit,’” Jung stated. “However I saved arguing this was Korea’s future cash-cow business — and we in the end succeeded in passing the legislation.”
Previous Esports Initiatives Revisited
Jung used the session to stipulate a long-running observe document of esports advocacy. This included forming a Nationwide Meeting esports caucus, internet hosting a StarCraft event contained in the Nationwide Meeting Library, and serving to launch the previous skilled crew MBCGame HERO.
He stated he as soon as proposed integrating an esports programme into the Defence Ministry’s Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Sangmu) and inspiring the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee to undertake esports as an official self-discipline — initiatives he described as having “stagnated for twenty years.”
Jung additionally expressed disappointment that the Presidential Award for esports continues to be not often attended by the president themselves.
“I promised that, if I get the possibility to satisfy the president, I’ll formally convey that request,” he stated.
2026 Esports Coverage Priorities
Jung emphasised that the upcoming complete revision invoice for the Sport Trade Promotion Act — led by Cho Seung-rae, a DPK consultant — is anticipated to clear the Nationwide Meeting quickly. In line with Cho, nonetheless, ministries such because the Ministry of Economic system and Finance “are usually not significantly constructive” about tax incentive measures, although he stated he plans to maintain negotiating.
The DPK chief reiterated that esports has been central to Korea’s delicate energy overseas, pointing to previous milestones akin to particular army service exemptions granted to elite rivals and early Korea–China esports exchanges.
Regardless of lingering public scepticism of gaming, Jung stated the Nationwide Meeting should be sure that these working in recreation growth and esports ‘can stick with it their companies with better confidence.’ He added that the Lee Jae-myung administration ‘can also be very taken with esports,’ pledging continued engagement with the business.
G-STAR 2025, Korea’s largest video games commerce present, runs by way of November seventeenth and includes a slate of publishers, esports showcases and enterprise conferences.
