President Lee Jae-myung criticized the private licensing of foreigner-only casinos as a "favor" and ordered the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to review the overall licensing standards. The government operates foreigner-only casinos to promote tourism and earn foreign currency, and the intent is to block the state from granting licenses to specific private corporations that guarantee them enormous profits.
On the 16th at the Government Sejong Convention Center, during a work briefing by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and its affiliated agencies, President Lee asked Yoon Doo-hyun, president of Grand Korea Leisure Co. (GKL), "You run foreigner-only casinos in Korea and are competing with the private sector as well," then asked, "Are you making some surplus?" Yoon answered, "Excluding labor costs and so on, we expect a surplus of about 40 billion to 50 billion won this year."
Lee then directly raised the issue of private casino licensing. Lee asked, "Does the government also grant licenses in the private sector? This seems like quite a significant favor. Why is it being granted to the private sector, and to whom is it being granted?"
Yoon said, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is the licensing authority," adding, "Two (private casinos) opened in 2017 on Yeongjongdo in Incheon."
In response, Lee pointed to the nature of foreigner-only casino facilities and raised concerns. Lee said, "In fact, these are gambling houses for foreigners, and the state, under a special purpose, grants licenses to open gambling houses and is making money."
He continued, "Significant profits are generated, and it is not appropriate to grant licenses for this to the private sector, to specific individuals," adding, "It would be good for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) to keep this in mind when making policy decisions later. Why grant it to individuals, to specific companies? That is why people call it a favor. Isn't it right to grant such things to the public sector?"