South Korea makes Valve take down Steam mod about military dictatorship

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As a gamer, I’ve noticed that Valve, the folks behind Steam, have removed a workshop mod from their platform, responding to a formal demand from the South Korean authorities. The reason? Allegations of “historical distortion” surrounding the nation’s past military regime.

The mod, named “Gwangju Running Man,” is a full transformation for the game Mount & Blade: Warband, portraying the 1980 Gwangju Uprising – a student-led pro-democracy rebellion brutally suppressed by the military government led by South Korean President and former General Chun Doo-hwan.

The report from Automaton, as translated, depicted pro-democracy demonstrators as destructive rioters and presented the military’s reaction as necessary, thereby emphasizing the legitimacy of the deaths of protestors and altering the violent narrative of South Korea’s past, this particular episode in history.

Initially, South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) barred access to the game within the country. Later, GRAC reached out to Valve, requesting a worldwide removal of the game. Their reasoning was that the content went against South Korean laws about historical revisionism and could potentially harm the public due to its controversial nature.

Valve removes mod following South Korean gov request

In response to the South Korean government’s demand, Valve took down the mod from Steam on a global scale around June 12, 2025. This is one of the first instances confirmed by PC Gamer where Valve has removed user-generated content worldwide, not because of legal or policy infractions, but due to political reasons at the behest of a foreign government.

Valve, in the past, has taken down games like Active Shooter, a title that allowed players to assume the role of a school shooter, due to internal censorship and widespread public criticism. Additionally, Valve has prohibited developers from continuing their work on Steam for misbehavior or exploiting the platform, but these actions were not prompted by any governmental intervention.

In the annals of South Korea’s history, the Gwangju Uprising holds immense importance and is often seen as a pivotal moment marking the country’s journey towards democratic reforms.

During the rebellion, severe measures against civilians resulted in hundreds of deaths, with some estimating the number to exceed 2,000. General Chun Doo-hwan, who seized power through a military coup, was later found guilty for his part in the suppression, yet his influence on the nation remains a subject of ongoing disagreement.

Valve has not issued a public statement on the matter at the time of writing.

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2025-07-07 15:48