Assembly passes online game curfew bill for youth

The National Assembly on Friday passed a game restriction bill that bans teenagers under the age of 16 from online games after midnight in a bid to stem game addition among teenagers, despite opposition from the gaming industry.

The Youth Protection Revision bill was proposed by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family last year as a means to combat teenagers' game addiction following a series of tragic incidents, such as the deaths of restless gamers and matricide blamed on excessive gaming.

Under the so-called "nighttime shutdown," online gamers below the age of 16 will be kicked out of gaming sessions from midnight to 6 a.m. The bill will take effect six months after its proclamation.

A bill that pushed to expand the curfew to those under 19 was voted down.

The proposed restriction policy has faced backlash from the gaming industry out of fear that it may dwarf the industry's growth.

South Korean Internet games enjoy popularity across Asia and are seen as a major driving force of the Korean Wave, the spread of Korean pop culture abroad.

The online game export volume surpassed $1 billion in 2008, which was 50 times more than the money the country earned from cinema sales and six times more than television drama exports, according to data from the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency. (Yonhap)

16세 미만 심야 온라인 게임 금지

만16세 미만 청소년들의 심야시간 온라인게임 이용을 강제 차단하는 '셧다운제'가 오는 11월 시행되면서 실효성 여부가 주목되고 있다.

국회는 29일 본회의를 열어 셧다운제 등이 포함된 청소년보호법(이하 청보법) 개정법률안을 통과시켰다. 이에 따라 청소년보호법개정안은 공포 시점으로부터 6개월 뒤인 오는 11월 전격 실시될 예정이며 구체적인 평가방법과 절차 등은 게임산업진흥법 개정안에 담긴다.

법안이 발효되면 온라인게임 업체들은 이용자의 나이를 확인하고 자정 이후 접속을 차단하는 조처를 해야 한다. 이를 어기면 2년 이하의 징역 또는 1천만원 이하의 벌금에 처해진다.

반면 '셧다운제' 적용 대상을 만16세가 아닌 만 19세 미만으로 확대했던 신지호 한나라당 의원의 수정안은 부결됐다.