The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC)'s review of mobile games rated restricted to teenagers will be opened to private rating agencies starting in October.
According to the game industry on the 27th, the Game Content Rating Board (GCRB) recently issued a notice to hold a business briefing in preparation for changes to the consignment contract for game ratings and disclosed this plan.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in 2024 that it would gradually transfer the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC)'s rating authority and has pursued revisions to relevant laws and regulations.
GCRB is a private rating agency established by the Game Culture Foundation and, through last year, handled ratings for general audiences and for PC and console games rated for ages 12 and 15.
Last year, the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) signed an additional consignment contract for rating services with the Game Culture Foundation, allowing GCRB to handle ratings for games restricted to teenagers.
However, even after that, GRAC still held the review authority for mobile games rated restricted to teenagers, but starting Oct. 1, GCRB will also take on mobile game reviews through a change in the consignment contract.
In addition, the Game Management Committee and GCRB decided to introduce a simplified review method for games from general audiences to those rated for ages 15. Under GRAC's existing review method, it took about seven days, but using the simplified rating system, processing is possible within two days, they said.
GCRB plans to hold a business briefing on the 25th for staff in charge of rating work at game companies to gather industry opinions.
Meanwhile, according to the roadmap announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) in 2024, the government will pursue a three-stage transfer to the private sector in the mid to long term to fully liberalize game ratings. The plan is to transfer review authority to self-rating operators such as app markets and game distributors, and to restructure GRAC into an agency that handles post-management tasks and reviews only some arcade games.