A new "Game Industry Promotion Act" going into effect in South Korea on July 1 will make it illegal for an online service to ask someone under 18 to verify the account with their real name or age.

In response, Sony is taking down the PlayStation Store in that region, pending compliance with the law. Sony hopes to resume PSN service sometime this year. Online multiplayer will continue to be available through PSN, and the PlayStation Store will remain open for PSP and PS Vita users.

This decision seems to have been a sudden one for Sony – it announced a sale on 2K games through PSN the same day, just before announcing the closure of the store.

Posted: Jun 20, 2012 1:46 pm

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/playstation-store-taken-down-in-korea-in-compliance-with-new-law/#comments