South Korea's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism has vowed full government support for the nation's gaming sector. 

Park Yang-woo made the pledge Wednesday after touring an e-sports stadium in Seoul’s Jongno District. 

He said gaming is a culture and leisure activity the entire population should be able to enjoy in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the 5G era. 

On the World Health Organization’s recent decision to classify gaming disorder as a disease, Park said the country's Statistics Agency will hold active discussions on whether to adopt the classification into the Korean Standard Classification of Disease and Causes of Death.

He said the government will come up with countermeasures by setting up a government-civilian consultative body with the Office for Government Policy Coordination playing a central role. 

Park said e-sports is the most popular content enjoyed by the younger generation, adding that he believes negative perceptions about gaming could be changed through e-sports.