South Korean Lawmakers Debate War Game and Security Policy

South Korean lawmakers have used the fictional North Korean invasion in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 to challenge President Lee Jae Myung’s security policy, while Culture Minister Choi Hwiyoung said games are not subject to prior censorship. Independent lawmaker Han Donghoon urged Lee in an October 23 Facebook post to play the game, saying its depiction of a devastated Seoul showed the consequences of inadequate defense preparedness. Han argued that the scenario was fictional but that North Korea’s military threat remained real. He also criticized the administration’s security policies, including its approach to joint military exercises with the United States. The game’s campaign depicts a North Korean invasion of South Korea and fighting by South Korean forces. Its plot has become a subject of political debate over how the country should assess security risks and whether fictional works depicting politically sensitive conflicts should face government scrutiny. The storyline is not evidence that an invasion has occurred or is imminent. At an October 23 parliamentary audit, lawmakers questioned Choi about whether the game should receive government scrutiny. The culture...