Culture chief serious about games

The government will cooperate with academia and industry to achieve 10 percent of the global game market and exports of $3.6 billion by 2010, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said yesterday. At an event at the Grand Hilton in northern Seoul, the ministry released a report on its plans to become one of the top three countries in the world in the global game market in terms of sales. A ministry official said that Korea is currently ranked about fifth or sixth. The report pointed out several features of the current Korean game industry and six major strategies needed to become a global leader in the market. Some of those included creating an environment for companies to have easier mergers and acquisitions, improving laws on copyrights and information protection, and expanding into new markets. The report was produced by the Game Industry Strategic Committee in the Culture Ministry. “Studies show that games encourage cooperation through networking and boost creative problem-solving,” said Kim Myung-gon, the minister of culture. “There are also demerits of games including [related] social problems and violence, all of which we plan to take strong measures to address in order to create a sound game culture.” The minister has openly and actively supported Korea’s game industry since his appointment to the post in late March. He has been holding meetings with heads of major game developers, promising them that the government will support them in their expansion abroad and create a good domestic environment for protecting copyrights and cultivating human resources. “The game industry is no longer in the realm of art or technology but includes psychology, industry and many other factors, which is why we need an integrated strategy,” Mr. Kim said. by Wohn Dong-hee