South Korea considers legal action against boosting

gabhernandez Published 07/12/2018

South Korea’s government will soon decide on proposed consequences for account boosting in video games.

Should they be approved, punishments could include up to two years in jail and a fine of up to 20 million won

In June of last year, South Korea’s National Assembly introduced an amendment to the Game Industry Promotion Act to include sanctions against third party vendors that profit from the supplying or providing of cheats and hacks in video games.

This year, if approved, the new implementation would incur either a fine or jail time to those found guilty of boosting accounts for profit. Boosting happens when a highly skilled player plays the game on an account they don’t own in order to raise the ranking on that account.

These services are sold to players who want higher level accounts, and the accounts themselves are often sold to the highest bidder. There has been no clarification on any consequences for the hiring party.

If the amendment passes, it will also be illegal to advertise for boosting on websites. Game companies welcomed the change, as many have already taken action on their own to combat boosting. One of the harshest punishments came down on Overwatch pro Kim “SADO” Su-Min of the Philadelphia Fusion, who received a 30-day ban for boosting other accounts before the inaugural Overwatch League season started.

Riot Games posted their own explanation of what the consequences are for boosting in League of Legends, and why boosting was considered a punishable offense.

“MMR boosting may sound like a victimless crime, but it can have numerous negative effects on the game and other players,” the article stated.

The amendment will have to go through the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee before it reaches the National Assembly on December 30th, but after a judicial review that was held recently, the amendment is expected to pass.

Read Also

Dota 2

A Polymarket trader won $477K on 1Win Essence II predictions Michael Hassall A Polymarket trader has reportedly received nearly $477,000 after correctly predicting the outcome of one of the playoff matches during 1Win Essence II, a major Dota 2 tournament that wrapped up Wednesday (Aug. 5). According to Predictbook, a prediction market tracking and news site, one of the top traders on Polymarket purchased thousands of shares in 1win to beat BetBoom Team in the 1win Essence playoffs, at an average of ...

Twitch

MrBeast Gives TeamWater Update, Calls Out Adin Ross Khizar Mundia Adin Ross collaborated with Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson during the YouTuber's first-ever Kick livestream to raise money for Team Water in August 2025. Since then, Ross and others have questioned how the funds have been used and what progress has been made. MrBeast has now shared an update while calling out Ross. MrBeast’s first Kick stream was a charity broadcast for the TeamWater project, and he collaborated with both Félix “xQc” ...

News

The Legend of Zelda Movie Casts Ganondorf and Impa; Who Will the Late Sam Neill Play? Zachary Roberts The Legend of Zelda has already finished filming, but the general public knows very little about who's in the upcoming live-action movie. Fans have long known that Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is playing Link, and Bo Bragason is portraying Princess Zelda. Other than that, it's been all leaks, rumors, and fan theories. Well, the cast officially got a little bigger this week, with the reveal of Ganondorf, Impa, and the movie, ...

Kick

Kick Rolls Out More Updates, Including Chat Ban Appeals Khizar Mundia Livestreaming platform Kick has been working on multiple new updates and improving its mobile app recently, with the latest changes including chat ban appeals. Kick has historically been creator-focused, but the platform is seemingly shifting to a more revenue-focused approach, as it has introduced ads and also stopped giving creators high-money deals. However, the platform is still developing new features and improving existing ones to provide a better user experience. Some ...

Twitch

iShowSpeed Nominated for Esports Streamer of the Year 2026: Can He Complete a Three-Peat? Khizar Mundia Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. has won the Esports Streamer of the Year award in the two previous years, and he has been nominated for the third time in 2026, giving him the chance to complete a three-peat. 2026 has been a massively successful year for iShowSpeed, as he became one of the first creators in the world to livestream the FIFA World Cup. He was also featured in the FIFA ...

GTA

Kai Cenat Reveals GTA 6 Marathon — Here’s What We Know Khizar Mundia GTA 6 is set to release on November 19, 2026, and streamer Kai Cenat has announced a marathon where he will be playing the game to completion. GTA 6 is poised to be one of the biggest games ever made, with a massive player base, and several streamers have revealed intentions of playing the game live. Kick streamer Adin Ross has gone as far as to state that people can ...

Twitch

Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed’s Marathon Trailer Released: Format, Date, and More Khizar Mundia Twitch star Kai Cenat and massive IRL YouTuber iShowSpeed have released the trailer for their upcoming gaming marathon, revealing the game they’ll play, the starting date, and other key details. Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed previously collaborated in a 2024 Minecraft marathon stream that lasted for a couple of days and reportedly generated almost 19 million watch hours. Fans have been eagerly awaiting another marathon, and Kai Cenat announced that he’s ...