Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea

What Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea does

The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea (GRAC, 게임물관리위원회) is a South Korean statutory regulatory agency established under Article 16 of the Game Industry Promotion Act on October 30, 2007. It operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and holds exclusive authority to assign legally-binding age and content classifications to all video games distributed commercially in South Korea, while also enforcing compliance and policing illegal gambling-style games. GRAC serves game developers, publishers, arcade operators, self-classifying companies, and general game users, processing general rating applications, open-market applications, trial/verification applications, and rating exemption requests through both online and on-site channels.

The agency's operational stack centers on a Game Rating Classification System for online submissions, a Smart Post-Management System for post-release compliance monitoring (modernized in 2022), a planned Game Information Integrated Computer Network, and a public OPEN API for game classification and recruitment data. Supporting platforms include a Self-Rating Classification System for authorized publishers under committee supervision, a Victim Relief System covering probability-based item disputes, an Illegal Game Reporting System with monetary rewards, an Education Portal (edu.grac.or.kr) for industry and government training, a public Game Search/Statistics database, and the Good Gamer School youth education program. In March 2026, GRAC launched a new Random Item Damage Relief Center and supporting system to address consumer harm from loot box mechanics in mobile games.

GRAC's funding is government appropriations from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, supplemented by classification review fees that range from 30,000 KRW to 450,000 KRW depending on platform, network type, genre, and localization, with a 50% reduction for qualifying SMEs. The agency is not a commercial entity: it has no shareholders, no funding rounds, and no IPO. Its go-to-market is direct-to-government rather than commercial: developers and publishers file applications through official portals, while enforcement is conducted in coordination with the Korea National Police Agency, Gangwon Police Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Police, and industry associations such as the Korea Game Industry Association and Korea Arcade Game Industry Association. Internationally, GRAC participates in the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) for cross-jurisdictional rating standards.

Name

Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea

Legal name

Game Rating And Administration Committee

Website

https://grac.or.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea is the statutory government body, established in 2007 under the Game Industry Promotion Act, that exclusively rates and classifies all video games distributed in South Korea and enforces compliance, illegal-gambling game crackdowns, and consumer relief programs for game developers, publishers, and arcade operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Game Content Regulation

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Publishing Services Providers (Ratings, Compliance, Certification, Release Ops) (MPAFABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accessibility & Compliance Services (A11y Testing, Ratings, Privacy/Regulatory) (MPAFAKAO)

Keywords

• Video game rating
• Game content classification
• Regulatory compliance
• Illegal gambling enforcement
• Youth protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Busan

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Game Classification Review Fees (심의수수료): The committee collects fees for game rating and classification services. Fees are calculated based on platform type (PC online, console, mobile, arcade, other), network usage type, genre classification, and localization requirements. Fees range from 30,000 KRW to 450,000 KRW base rates.
2. Government Budget Allocation: As a public institution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (문화체육관광부), the committee receives annual government budget for operations, enforcement activities, and educational programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea (GRAC) is the sole government regulatory body authorized under Article 16 of the Game Industry Promotion Act to review and assign age-appropriateness ratings to all video games distributed in South Korea. Beyond rating classification, it conducts post-release monitoring and enforcement, operates a victim relief system for game-related consumer disputes (including probability-item/loot box issues), processes self-rating submissions from qualified publishers, and runs joint enforcement operations against illegal gambling games in partnership with police.

Product overview

The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC/게임물관리위원회) operates Korea's official game rating and regulatory system. The portfolio consists of the core Game Rating Classification System for assigning age ratings to all games, a Self-Rating Classification System for authorized publishers, Post-Management enforcement activities, a Victim Relief System for consumer protection, and an Illegal Game Reporting System with rewards. Supporting infrastructure includes an Education Portal for training game industry participants, OPEN APIs for public data access, Game Search/Statistics databases, and youth education programs like the Good Gamer School. The committee also launched a Random Item Damage Relief System in 2026 to address loot box issues in mobile games.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Game Rating Classification Service (등급분류제도) Statutory service that reviews and assigns age-appropriateness ratings to all video games distributed in South Korea, covering PC online, console, portable, mobile, arcade, and other platforms; required for commercial release.
• Self-Rating Classification Service (자체등급분류제도) Allows pre-approved, qualified game publishers to self-classify their own games under committee supervision with mandatory post-release remote monitoring by GRAC teams.
• Victim Relief Service (피해구제제도)

Quantifiable outcome

• Processed 297+ game classification decisions since 2007
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• Gangwon Police Agency and Kangwon LandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Cooperation system to eliminate illegal gambling games and protect game users. Combines police enforcement authority with GRAC's regulatory oversight and Kangwon Land's industry knowledge.
• Korea National Police Agency / Seoul Metropolitan Police AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Joint enforcement operations against illegal gambling establishments. Police provide law enforcement capabilities while GRAC provides technical expertise in identifying illegal game machines and gambling programs. Operations result in arrests and equipment seizures.
• Korea Game Industry Association (한국게임산업협회)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Joint campaigns and safety inspections targeting youth game facility operators. Industry association coordinates with arcade businesses while GRAC provides regulatory guidance.
• Korea Arcade Game Industry Association (한국아케이드게임산업협회)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for joint campaigns and safety inspections of youth game facilities. Coordinates industry self-regulation with government oversight.
• Financial Supervisory Service (금융감독원)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAC requested the FSS to strictly manage foreign accounts of illegal gambling game sites, combining financial regulation with game enforcement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• National Gambling Control Commission of Korea: Korean government regulator focused on gambling and casino oversight. Adjacent peer because GRAC's enforcement mandate around illegal gambling games overlaps with this body's regulatory remit.
• Korea Communications Standards Commission: Korean regulator overseeing online content standards and harmful digital communications. Complementary regulator that shares consumer protection and harmful content scope with GRAC, though focused on broader media rather than games specifically.

Direct peers

• Pan European Game Information (PEGI): Europe's age-rating system for video games across 38 countries. PEGI shares GRAC's mandate of standardized age classification for game distribution and is a co-member of the International Age Rating Coalition.
• Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB): North America's self-regulatory game rating body. ESRB is the most direct functional peer to GRAC, assigning age and content ratings required for commercial game distribution in the US and Canada under an industry-funded model.
• Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK): Germany's official game rating authority. USK is a state-recognized body performing age classification for games distributed in Germany and is a fellow IARC member alongside GRAC.
• Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO): Japan's game rating body. CERO performs age-based content classification required for retail game release in Japan, making it GRAC's closest Asian functional counterpart.

Emerging players

• International Age Rating Coalition (IARC): Cross-border rating coalition whose members include GRAC. IARC provides a unified rating tool bridging multiple national authorities, making it both a partner and a potential long-term competitive layer to GRAC's domestic classification mandate.

Regional players

• Australian Classification Board: Australian government regulator classifying films, games, and publications. Operates a statutory classification regime analogous to GRAC's but for a different geography and broader content scope.
• Brazilian ClassInd (Ministério da Justiça): Brazil's government body responsible for age classification of games and other media. Comparable in being a state-driven regulatory authority rather than industry self-regulation, though serving a different market.
• Game Software Rating Regulations (Taiwan): Taiwan's game rating body, operating under a similar statutory framework to GRAC's Article 16 mandate. Comparable regulatory architecture but serving a separate jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea