Blizzard has to be pretty surprised that in the country where StarCraft is almost a religion, Korea would give StarCraft 2 an AO rating. The “AO” rating means that the game is rated for Adults Only, which is perhaps a major surprise to the developer.

The ratings board in Korea, a division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, cited the violence, foul language and depiction of drug use as the reason for its decision. By way of comparison, the game only received a Teen rating in the U.S. The description used to identify the type of game was similar by both ratings boards, as the title was cited for Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of alcohol/tobacco, and Violence.

While the original StarCraft received a Teen rating last time around, it would appear that a different application of the ratings was made this time around. Blizzard will have 30 days to appeal the rating in Korea should they choose to do so. If the company does choose to alter the game and re-submit it to be re-rated, our sources indicate that it could delay the release in Korea for 30 days or more.