Neowiz COO picked as game group head

The Korea Association of Game Industry announced Friday that it seated Choi Kwan-ho, chief operating officer of Neowiz Games, as its chairman, filling in the position which was left vacant for three months.

In a press conference held in southern Seoul, Choi said he plans to file a constitutional petition in protest of the government’s decision to implement the new “Cinderella law” later this year.

The law, which will be initially applied to online games played on personal computers, bans those under age 16 from logging in to game websites between 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. It was passed in the National Assembly late last month.

“Many of the association members are preparing to file a constitutional petition with the court because we believe we’ve experienced inappropriate treatment and received damages because of it,” he said.

Choi, who has served as the chief executive of GameOn and Neowiz Games, said he cannot give an exact date, but said the petition would be filed before August.

Stressing the need to open up more communication channels with its member firms, the association has set its vision on establishing growth built on common ground, according to Choi. There are about 80 firms that are members of the association.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)