Korean ratings board to monitor Dokkaebi's World over 15+ rating

The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) said on November 6 that it will monitor the age-rating appropriateness of Dokkaebi's World and take action if monitoring confirms content that does not match the assigned rating, according to inven.co.kr. The game currently carries a 15-and-over rating and could be raised to a no-minors rating.

GRAC cited Article 12, Paragraph 4, Item B of its rating classification regulations, which assigns a no-minors rating to systems that allow item trading between users via paid currency. The committee added that users' actual in-game trading behaviour could fall under Article 32, Paragraph 1, Item 7 of the Game Industry Act, a currency-exchange provision, and become subject to post-management.

The review follows statements made the previous day. On November 5, Kakao Games business division head Cha Myeong-su said in a Dokkaebi's World community broadcast that the company would not block users from selling in-game assets for cash if they grow strong enough. GRAC also said the Game Industry Act has no clause directly sanctioning statements made by game company officials on public broadcasts.

Kakao Games' operations policy, effective October 6, defines attempts to cash out game data and cash or in-kind item trades as cash trading, punishable by up to permanent use restrictions.

According to GRAC, there is no confirmed similar case of a game company publicly tolerating cash trading between users.