The ‘Partial Amendment to the Act on the Promotion of e-Sports’, proposed by National Assembly member Jeong Yeon-wook (People Power Party, Suyeong-gu, Busan), passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 31st of last month. The so-called ‘Regional e-Sports Activation Act’, which strengthens the institutional basis of the local e-sports ecosystem, has finally been legislated.
In the meantime, the current law stipulates the basis for local governments’ support of e-sports too comprehensively, resulting in serious bottlenecks in practice. Even when trying to promote various projects such as fostering local e-sports teams, operating programs for schools and youth, and linking career education, there were repeated cases where budget execution and project promotion were blocked due to the lack of detailed supporting provisions.
With the passage of this bill, local governments will be able to promote ▲creating conditions for e-sports facilities, etc. ▲establishment and operation of e-sports organizations ▲foundation and operation of e-sports teams ▲hosting e-sports competitions ▲operating e-sports activities and career education programs for schools and youth, etc., under a clear legal basis. In particular, the key point is that it has expanded beyond the existing scope of simple facility support to a comprehensive policy encompassing team creation, competition hosting, and career education.
Rep. Jeong Yeon-wook said, “This bill lays the foundation for systematically fostering e-sports in local areas,” and added, “It will create an environment where local governments can develop teams and hold competitions, and youth can experience e-sports as a healthy culture and career path.”
He then mentioned the history of Busan and e-sports, saying, “Busan is a city that has created symbolic scenes for e-sports in Korea, such as the StarCraft Gwangalli Battle in 2004 and hosting the League of Legends World Championships in 2022 and 2023,” and emphasized, “With this amendment as an opportunity, we will further strengthen the e-sports industry ecosystem centered on Busan.”
Reporter Kim Yong-woo (kenzi@dailyesports.com)