On 1 October 2026, Korea's National Assembly passed an amendment to the Game Industry Act that rewrites the domestic-agent rule for foreign game companies. The bill that passed is no. 2221614, an alternative bill proposed by the chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. It merges two earlier bills: no. 2211759, introduced in July 2025 and the subject of our July note on third-party agents, and no. 2220858, introduced in August 2026. Both originals were withdrawn when the committee adopted the alternative in their place.

The law is not in force yet. It was sent to the government on 8 October and has not been promulgated. Under Article 53(1) of the Constitution, the President promulgates a bill within 15 days of receiving it, which points to promulgation by 23 October 2026. Under Article 1 of the bill's addendum, the amendment takes effect six months after promulgation. If it is promulgated by 23 October, it takes effect around mid-April 2027. Every date below follows from the promulgation date, and we will update this note when that date is published. The article references are to bill no. 2221614 as passed; we will check them against the promulgated text in the Official Gazette.

Who can be your domestic agent after the amendment takes effect

The basic rule stays the same: the agent must have an address or place of business in Korea. Article 31-2(2) then adds an order of preference. An operator that has a corporation in one of the first two categories must designate its agent from among them:

  • 1. A Korean corporation the operator established.
  • 2. A Korean corporation over which the operator exercises dominant influence in matters such as appointing officers and running the business. Which corporations count will be set by Presidential Decree.
  • 3. A corporation able to carry out the agent's duties faithfully. This option is available only where the operator has no corporation in category 1 or 2.

So a third-party agent is still permitted, and the law now names that route expressly, but only as the last option. A publisher with its own Korean subsidiary cannot designate around it. Category 3 also refers to a corporation. Whether an operator with no Korean entity may still designate a natural person is a question the text leaves open; the enforcement decree or ministry guidance may settle it. Until then, the cautious plan for a new designation is a corporation.

What the agent must do

  • A third statutory task. Article 31-2(1), item 1-2 adds protection against harm to domestic users and the handling of their complaints, linked to the operator's new duty in Article 28(1), item 7-2. The agent's existing tasks, carrying out reports under Article 31(2) and the labelling duties under Article 33, remain.
  • A duty on the agent itself. Under Article 31-2(3), the designated agent must comply with those tasks.
  • Supervision by the operator. Under Article 31-2(4), the operator must train its agent and check how the work is being done, in the manner the Presidential Decree sets.
  • Continuity. Under Article 31-2(5), an operator that has designated an agent must keep the designation in place without interruption for as long as its game is distributed or offered in Korea, and may not change it at will. The criteria and procedure for keeping or changing a designation will be set by Presidential Decree.

Two existing rules carry over under new paragraph numbers: the designation must be stated in the terms of service, and a violation by the agent is treated as a violation by the operator.

Who pays the fines

The operator does. Article 48(1) provides a fine of up to KRW 20 million, the same ceiling as today, for an operator that fails to designate an agent, designates one in breach of the order of preference in Article 31-2(2), or fails to train and supervise its agent. A new Article 39-3 lets the ministry or the Game Rating and Administration Committee request documents, including to check whether a designation meets the criteria, and Article 48(2), item 7-2 sets a fine of up to KRW 10 million for failing to submit them or submitting false ones without good reason.

Earlier versions went further. Bill no. 2220858 would have fined the agent itself for breaching its duties, fined operators for breaking the continuity rule, and allowed a business suspension. None of those provisions is in the text that passed.

The enforcement path that did pass runs through corrective orders. Under new Article 38(9), the ministry may order anyone who violates Article 31-2 to correct the violation, and may first recommend a corrective plan. If the order is not followed, Article 38(7) lets the ministry order information and communications service providers to refuse, suspend, or restrict handling of the game. In practice, an agent problem left unresolved can end in a restriction on distributing the game in Korea.

Existing designations: the transition rules

  • The new order of preference applies to designations made after the effective date. Addendum Article 2(1).
  • Operators with their own or a controlled Korean corporation must switch. Under Addendum Article 2(2), an operator that designated an agent under the current rule and has a corporation in category 1 or 2 must designate its agent from among those corporations within six months after the effective date, around October 2027 on current expectations.
  • Operators with no such corporation are not required to redesignate. The addendum does not require them to change an existing designation. The new tasks, the agent's compliance duty, supervision, and continuity carry no transition clause, so on our reading they apply to every designation from the effective date.

The timeline

  • 1 October 2026. Passed by the National Assembly plenary session.
  • 8 October 2026. Sent to the government.
  • By 23 October 2026. Promulgation due under Article 53(1) of the Constitution. Not yet promulgated at the time of writing.
  • Six months after promulgation, around mid-April 2027. The amendment takes effect (Addendum Article 1).
  • Six months after the effective date, around October 2027. Deadline for operators with their own or a controlled Korean corporation to move an existing designation to it (Addendum Article 2(2)).
  • Before the effective date. An enforcement decree is expected to fill in the details on controlled corporations, supervision, and keeping or changing a designation. No draft has been published yet.

What foreign game companies should do now

  • Keep complying with the current rule. The domestic-agent duty is in force today under the current text. The amendment changes who may be appointed from 2027; it does not pause anything now.
  • Check whether you have a Korean entity you established or control. If you do, plan to designate it. An existing third-party designation has to move to that entity within six months after the effective date.
  • If you have no Korean entity, look at your agent's form. A third party remains available. For a designation made after the effective date, plan on a corporation.
  • Plan for complaint handling. Harm prevention and complaint handling for Korean users becomes an agent task and an operator duty. Decide who answers Korean users, in what language, and on what timetable.
  • Review your agent agreement for continuity. Because the designation must stay in place without interruption, agree on notice periods, handover, and a successor process before you need them.
  • Keep records of supervision. Training and checks on the agent become an operator duty that carries a fine. Keep evidence that they happen.
  • Watch the enforcement decree. The controlled-corporation test, the supervision method, and the change procedure will all be set there.

Where Munteok stands

Munteok currently offers domestic-agent appointment under the current rule. Because the amendment limits a third-party agent to a corporation, Munteok will incorporate in Korea and will offer the domestic-agent service as a Korean corporation before the amendment takes effect. Under Article 31-2(2), we can act only for operators that have no Korean corporation of their own or under their control. If yours does, the law points to that entity, and the Compliance Scan is the more useful starting point.

Munteok provides regulatory information, not legal advice.