Minister Responds to Political 'CoD' Controversy: "No Prior Censorship

Rep. Kim Seok-ki calls relying on creative freedom "irresponsible," Minister Choi calls it "a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution"

Minister Responds to Political 'CoD' Controversy: "No Prior Censorship"

Doohyun "Biit" Lee [email protected] Oct 23, 2026 Korean (한국어) KO Add us on

Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated during a parliamentary audit on October 23 regarding the video game 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4' (hereafter Modern Warfare 4), which depicts war on the Korean Peninsula, that "the government does not practice prior censorship on games either." He also expressed willingness to discuss potential legal and institutional improvements with the National Assembly if the social impact is significant and policy refinements are deemed necessary.

Minister Choi's remarks were made during a comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and related agencies by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the same day. Representative Kim Seok-ki of the People Power Party brought up 'Modern Warfare 4.' 'Modern Warfare 4' is the latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise, published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward. It follows the journey of the South Korean Marine Corps and U.S. military forces, as well as internal conflict within North Korea. The game was officially released on the day of the parliamentary audit.

Rep. Kim asked why a game in which South Korea and U.S. forces unite against a surprise North Korean invasion was gaining popularity among younger demographics. Minister Choi explained, "Call of Duty has long been a franchise enjoyed by many players worldwide." Rep. Kim then argued that young people were responding to the game's decisive action because the government fails to adequately respond to North Korean provocations. Minister Choi responded, "I do not see it that way."

Rep. Kim went on to point out that overreactions had emerged from the so-called left wing even before release, calling for its distribution to be blocked. Minister Choi remarked, "I believe having a variety of reactions is simply a natural phenomenon."

Rep. Kim also raised the issue of double standards. He argued that it defies common sense to protect movies depicting the assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-soo under the guise of creative freedom despite denying historical facts, while demanding the removal of a game dealing with a fictional war that never occurred. Minister Choi drew a firm line, stating that it was not necessary to respond to every reaction regarding copyrighted works, adding, "Games are not subject to prior censorship either."

Rep. Kim revisited questions from previous audits, suggesting that the Minister's position amounted to claiming nothing could be done due to creative freedom even if a fictional movie featuring former or sitting presidents were released. Minister Choi replied, "There is no legal system in place to censor them," and "It is a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution." He explained that damages such as defamation can be addressed through other legal frameworks like criminal law, which reflects the community's established social compact.

Rep. Kim predicted that controversy would escalate following the release of 'Modern Warfare 4' and that social unrest would recur whenever similar titles are released. He also criticized the Minister in charge, stating that repeatedly citing freedom of creation sounds irresponsible. When asked if the ministry was refusing to even consider solutions, Minister Choi clarified that it was not a matter of refusing to consider them, but rather that prior censorship is legally impossible.

Originally written in Korean, this article was translated with AI assistance and edited by a native English-speaking editor. Every translation is reviewed by our editorial team before publication. [Read Original]

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Doohyun "Biit" Lee

[email protected]