I have once realized that though much of the world acknowledges 18 as the age of legal adulthood and age of majority, this is not so in South Korea where the legal adult age and age of majority is 19 that confuses the international age of 18 by Korean standards. South Koreans usually graduate high school between the ages of 18 and 19 and the legal age to marry in South Korea is 18. However, I have found this age specification of 19 to be restrictive, particularly in the spheres of movies, television, and games, where the Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) and Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) have uprated the rating of 18 to the rating of 19 and the Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) requires the rating of 19 to be used instead of the rating of 18 in Busan due to the new South Korean law raising the legal age limit for adults and the viewing age of movies and videos that cannot be viewed by teenagers changed to those aged 19 or older and the age of viewing movies and videos that are not allowed for youth viewing changed to 19 and a partial amendment to the Film and Video Act was passed by the Korean National Assembly to align the youth age criteria with the Youth Protection Act.

This situation has prompted our earnest call on president Lee Jae-myung and the South Korean government to abolish the Youth Protection Act, an act that defines youth as under 19 and change the South Korean law that is to lower the legal adult age and age of majority again from 19 to 18 and keep the age of consent at 16 and the Korean age system and new law for Koreans to align the voting age and legal marriage age criteria and the Korean National Assembly to pass the full amendment to the Film and Video Act and Game Industry Promotion Act, so it's about time for the age of majority of 19 to be lowered again to 18 with the exception to purchase alcohol and tobacco that will remain at 19 and the viewing age of movies and videos that cannot be viewed by teenagers changed back to those aged 18 or older and the 19 rating of movies and videos changed to the R rating. With this change, we will align better with the majority of countries around the world. Concurrently, we would like to see the age of 19 lowered to the age of 18 and the Youth Protection Act, an act that defines youth as under 19 abolished by the South Korean government and the Korean National Assembly passing the full amendment to the Film and Video Act and Game Industry Promotion Act again and this new South Korean law lowering the legal age limit to 18 for adults and the 19 rating for films, television, games, and online music videos replaced by the R rating for films by the Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) and games by the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) and the 18 rating for television by Korea Communications Standard Commission (KCSC) and the Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) and Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) will use the rating of R and reword it to "Restricted to audiences 18 and over only." for films and the Korea Communications Standard Commission (KCSC) will replace the 19 rating with the 18 rating and 18 will be the rightful legal adult age and age of majority to align the voting age and legal marriage age criteria and South Korea will celebrate Coming-of-Age Day on the third Monday of May for those turning 18, newly symbolizing their transition to adulthood.

This is more than a push for policy modification—it is an urge for more liberality, for young Koreans or Korean youths and K-Pop fans to be provided with mature content a bit earlier, which might encourage earlier intellectual and emotional maturity. The legal adult age and age of majority in South Korea was 20 but was reduced to 19 in 2011 and voting age in South Korea was 19 but was reduced to 18 in 2020. As such, your support to this cause will not merely be a signature on a petition but an endorsement for a fairer, more inclusive system that respects the cognizance of the Korean youths.

Please sign this petition for a call to have the legal adult age and age of majority lowered and reduced again to 18 in South Korea for the government to abolish the Youth Protection Act, an act that defines youth as under 19 and change the law that is to lower the age of majority and legal adult age from 19 to 18 with the exception to purchase alcohol and tobacco that will remain at 19 and keep the age of consent at 16 and the Korean National Assembly in South Korea pass the full amendment to the Film and Video Act and the Game Industry Promotion Act to change the rating of 19 to the rating of R for films and games and the rating of 18 for television, so the minimum age or legal age in South Korea will be 18 to align the voting age and legal marriage age criteria as the rightful legal adult age and age of majority in South Korea and support our endeavor for age alignment and media accessibility.