Korea's casino and integrated resort industry is facing a major crisis as the government pushes to increase the maximum tourism development fund levy from 10 percent to 15 percent of total revenue. The regulatory shift comes as major operators are still struggling to recover massive initial investments and manage escalating operational costs following years of market uncertainty. Industry executives and tourism experts gathering at The Korea Times' roundtable discussion on Wednesday highlighted that the proposed policy changes could hinder future expansion and harm competitiveness. The discussion focused on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's revision of the Tourism Promotion Act, which the government reportedly began pushing forward in July. Along with raising the cap on the tourism fund levy, the ministry is seeking to implement a five-year license renewal system and a prior approval process for business ownership transfers. While the government argues that these measures are necessary to align with global standards and reclaim public benefits, local resort operators point out