Game marketing claims can create legal risk when the experience delivered to users does not match what was promised in an advertisement, store listing, or paid product description.
In Korea, game advertising compliance is addressed through two distinct systems. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) enforces consumer-protection laws, while the Game Self-Governance Organization of Korea (GSOK) operates an industry self-regulatory review framework.
Global game developers and publishers should understand the difference between these systems and ensure that claims such as “Ad-Free,” “No Ads,” and “100% Free” accurately describe the product users will receive.
The KFTC is a government enforcement authority. It can investigate violations of Korean consumer-protection laws and impose corrective orders and administrative fines.
GSOK, by contrast, is an industry self-regulatory organization. Its Game Advertising Self-Regulation Committee develops review standards, monitors game advertisements, and conducts self-regulatory reviews.
A GSOK review is therefore not the same as a KFTC enforcement action. However, both systems reflect the same practical principle: game advertising should not mislead users about gameplay, monetization, rewards, or the scope of a paid service.
In September 2025, the KFTC announced corrective orders and administrative fines against three online game companies for providing false or misleading information about game items.
Com2uS Holdings received an administrative fine of KRW 7.5 million in connection with information provided in Soul Strike and Zenonia.
One of the violations involved the “Permanent Ad Removal Package” and “30-Day Ad Removal Package” sold through the Soul Strike in-game store.
The packages were presented as removing all advertisements from the game. In practice, however, only video advertisements were removed, while promotional pop-up advertisements continued to appear when users accessed the game.
The KFTC found that the difference between the advertised scope of the packages and their actual functionality constituted misleading consumer information.
The enforcement action also covered other discrepancies. In Soul Strike, users were incorrectly informed about the level from which a mythic-grade item could be obtained. In Zenonia, two refinement items were described as having different probabilities even though the applied probabilities were the same.
The case therefore demonstrates a broader compliance issue: all material information used to promote or sell an in-game product must match the product’s actual operation.
The KFTC’s action did not create a separate new law applying only to the term “Ad-Free.” Instead, it applied existing Korean consumer-protection requirements to a game product whose description did not match the service delivered.
When an advertisement or product name uses an absolute expression such as “Ad-Free” or “No Ads,” users may reasonably understand that all forms of advertising will be removed.
If only certain advertising formats are removed, the limitation should be disclosed clearly before purchase.
For example:
The precise wording should reflect the actual game design. Developers should not use “No Forced Ads” if users may still be required to view advertisements at any point in the gameplay flow.
Claims such as “100% Free” can also create risk when the game contains paid content, mandatory purchases, subscriptions, or other monetization features that are not clearly disclosed.
The existence of optional in-app purchases does not automatically make every use of the word “free” misleading. However, the claim should identify exactly what is free.
Depending on the product, clearer wording may include:
These are practical drafting examples rather than phrases officially prescribed by GSOK. Each statement must be reviewed against the game’s actual content, monetization model, and user journey.
GSOK’s game advertising self-examination standards provide an additional industry framework for reviewing game advertisements distributed in Korea.
The standards should be considered when preparing:
Marketing materials should not give users a false impression of the game’s content, rewards, pricing, or functionality.
Particular attention should be paid to absolute claims, simulated gameplay, exaggerated rewards, unavailable items, omitted purchase conditions, and differences between advertised and actual game mechanics.
Before launching a campaign in Korea, developers and publishers should complete the following review.
Identify whether terms such as “free,” “unlimited,” “guaranteed,” “ad-free,” or “exclusive” contain exceptions or conditions.
Test the actual user experience rather than relying solely on design documents. Confirm that advertisements, pop-ups, purchase conditions, rewards, and gameplay features operate as described.
Consistency should be checked across:
If a paid package removes only video advertisements, rewarded advertisements, banner advertisements, or forced advertisements, state the covered formats specifically.
Maintain screenshots, approved copy, campaign versions, product specifications, and internal review records. These materials may be important if a consumer complaint or regulatory inquiry arises.
An originally accurate advertisement may become misleading after changes to monetization, user-interface design, reward structures, or in-game advertising formats.
Approval by Google, Apple, Meta, or another advertising platform does not establish compliance with Korean law or GSOK’s standards.
Platform policies and local advertising requirements operate independently. A creative accepted by a global platform may still present consumer-protection risk in Korea.
Global campaigns should therefore undergo a separate Korea-specific legal and localization review before publication.
For related compliance risks involving probability disclosures, see Korea’s Zero-Tolerance Era: Why Probability Errors Are Now Business-Critical.
The most effective advertising compliance process connects marketing, product, legal, localization, and live-operations teams before a campaign goes live.
TheGameAgent supports global game developers and publishers with Korea-specific advertising reviews, game compliance assessments, probability disclosure checks, regulatory communication, and corrective-action coordination.
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