Short answer
Today's rules have applied since 23 October 2025 and stay in force until 20 April 2027. Act No. 22085, promulgated on 20 October 2026, adds agent duties and penalties from 21 April 2027. Several details are left to an Enforcement Decree that has not been published yet.
What changes on 21 April 2027
| Topic | Until 20 April 2027 | From 21 April 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Who must appoint | Overseas game companies with no Korean office or place of business that meet any one of the three tests | Act No. 22085 does not change those tests |
| Agent's work | Article 31(2) reports and Article 33 labeling duties | Adds handling Korean users' harm and complaints, and answering document requests under new Article 39-3 |
| Who can be the agent | Any person or company with a Korean address or place of business. The ministry's guide encourages using your Korean affiliate if you have one. | If you set up a Korean corporation, or control one (the decree will define control), you must appoint one of them. If neither exists, the fallback is another Korean corporation able to do the work. |
| Your oversight | A working line of communication. The contract sets the rest. | You must train, manage and supervise the agent and check its work. |
| Changing agents | Update your Korean terms promptly. The guide recommends notifying GRAC, and the re-designation form's notes treat the change as a required report. | The appointment must be kept without gaps, and arbitrary changes are prohibited. |
| Document requests | GRAC checks whether you have appointed an agent. | The ministry or GRAC chair can demand records to check eligibility, investigate a suspected violation or respond to a complaint. |
| Penalties | Fine of up to KRW 20 million for not appointing. The ministry's guide says each year's violation can bring a new fine. | Correction orders. New fines for choosing the wrong agent, not training or supervising it, or ignoring or falsely answering a document request. Ignoring a correction order can ultimately lead to an order for network providers to restrict your service. |
If you already have an agent
Appointments made on or after 21 April 2027 must follow the new corporation-first rule. For existing appointments, the Act says the six-month transition applies when a corporation in one of the new categories is available to you. Our reading is:
- If you set up or control a Korean corporation, appoint one of those corporations.
- If you do not, and your agent is an individual, the wording appears to require a switch to a Korean corporation able to do the work. The forthcoming decree or official guidance may clarify this point.
- If you do not, and your agent is already a Korean corporation able to do the work, you will likely be able to keep the same company, but may still need to re-designate it or update the filing.
Still to be set by decree
- What counts as a Korean corporation you control
- How you must train, supervise and check your agent
- Rules for keeping and changing an appointment
- How document requests work
If you are appointing or changing an agent on or after 21 April 2027, check the decree first. We will update this page when it is published.
What to do before April 2027
- Keep following today's rules until 20 April 2027.
- List every Korean corporation you set up or control, and what each one does.
- Map your position under the transition rule: move to a Korean corporation you set up or control; plan to replace an individual agent with a capable Korean corporation if you have no such company; or check whether your current corporate agent can be re-designated.
- Plan for the new work: complaint handling, document requests, and training and supervising your agent.
Eligibility is reviewed every year as of 23 October. See the annual checklist.
Change log
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 20 Oct 2026 | Act No. 22085 promulgated. Its domestic-agent changes take effect on 21 April 2027. |
| 10 Jul 2026 | At its first roundtable with domestic agents, the ministry said 81 companies were required to appoint one: 80 had, and one was in the comment period before a fine. Another 24 had appointed voluntarily, for 104 in total. |
| 23 Oct 2025 | The domestic-agent rule (Article 31-2) takes effect. |
| 21 Oct 2025 | Enforcement Decree No. 35818 sets the three current tests: KRW 1 trillion in worldwide sales, installs of one mobile game, and an Article 31(2) report request from the ministry. |
| 14 Oct 2025 | The ministry publishes the final criteria and a Korean and English guide. They replace the April 2025 draft, which used a 100,000-user, three-month test. |
Sources
- Act No. 22085Game Industry Promotion Act, effective 21 April 2027.
- Reasons for the 2026 amendment
- Ministry roundtable release, 10 July 2026
- Enforcement Decree, Article 18-3Current tests.
- Ministry final announcement and guide, 14 October 2025