At the end of August, the South Korean authorities approved a new amendment to the gambling law, reports ZDNET Korea. This amendment requires foreign gaming companies that distribute their titles in the country to find local partners.
Officials believe this requirement will better regulate the Korean gaming market. For example, it will make it more difficult for foreign publishers and developers to circumvent the loot box law and other regulations adopted in South Korea.
How exactly the authorities will enforce compliance with this requirement has not been disclosed.
The amendment was first proposed to be added to the gambling law in the summer of 2023. As reported by another Korean portal GameMeca at that time, it was suggested that it would only apply to companies with revenue and a number of game users above a certain level. It was also noted that an alternative to finding a local partner could be opening an office in South Korea.