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3 million in Seoul at risk of net addiction

DEC 8, 2002
3 million in Seoul at risk of Net addiction
With half the nation wired up, the government has set up a counselling centre to tackle the disorder

By Caroline Gluck
IN SEOUL

SEOUL - For over three days in October, Mr Kim Kyung Jae, 24, was holed up in an Internet cafe in the city of Kwangju playing computer games.

He played virtually non-stop, taking only toilet or cigarette breaks.

He collapsed after 86 hours at the terminal and later died.

His mother Choi Yong Soon is still trying to make sense of his death.

'I told him not to spend so much time on the Internet. He just said 'Yes, mum', and kept on playing,' she said.

His death is an extreme example of a growing problem in South Korea - Internet addiction.

South Korea is one of the most wired societies in the world. More than half the population has access to the Internet.

Over 10 million people have high-speed Internet services and there are more than 25,000 24-hour cybercafes, known as PC bangs.

Said detective Hong Gun Hee, who is investigating Mr Kim's death: 'These days, there aren't many places where young people can go.

'PC bangs are open 24 hours a day - and there is every potential that another case like this could happen again.'

With more than 30 per cent of Internet users here thought to be at risk of addiction, efforts are under way to try to tackle the growing problem.

In April, the Centre for Internet Addiction Prevention and Counselling - the first such government-funded body - began operating.

Psychologist Lee Sujin of the centre says young people are most at risk.

He said: 'We diagnose Internet addiction as a compulsive disorder like pathological gambling or eating disorder.

'Youngsters who become obsessed with the Internet do badly at school, have less interaction with their family and friends and get lonelier.

The centre's experts say Internet addiction has less to do with the number of hours spent online - addicts typically spend more than four hours - and more with the central role that computers and the Internet play in his or her life.

Symptoms include preoccupation with the Internet, inability to perform routine tasks, and nervousness and anxiety when not online.

At a counselling session, Ki Kyoung Soo, 17, admitted he typically spent half a day online.

'If I went home at 5 pm, I'd play until 2 am. In the holidays, I'd play until 5 am - 12 straight hours,' he said.

'I had trouble sleeping. When I was in bed, I would stay awake...just wanting to play games again. It's very addictive; I want to try to stop.'

But counsellor Lhee Hurn Gyu, who holds the weekly sessions, said he was not advocating a ban on Internet usage.

'We're not trying to stop Internet usage altogether,' he added.

'The Internet is something we live with and we need to use. What we are trying to do here is to control and reduce the time that people spend on the Internet.'


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Copyright @ 2002 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
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amazing..and pathetic, people who can't control themselves

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ni pour ni contre; ça m'est égal

"The weight of this sad time we must obey,/ Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say./ The oldest hath borne most; we that are young/ Shall never see so much, nor live so long."
King Lear (V.3.300-304)

wow...

Damn, I'm gonna die now

that's kinda funny.... how can you not get sick of being online 24/7?? hmph...

quote:

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Originally posted by Captain Korea
Damn, I'm gonna die now

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"Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable. " - Bruce Lee

dang thaz scary...dying cuz of bein addicted to the comp?? *shudders*

wow thats pathetic...
to die from playin video games

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the fool is the one who thinks he is wise, yet the wise one is the one who thinks he is a fool

Remember the heros
Remember the lives
Remember the day
God bless

yea i know..tahts really interesting..

dang thats crazy. haha

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Thank you Eddie for the oh-so-wonderful avatar! ^^


Propz to Sam. yayy~ haha

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my xanga that i finally put up~
*MeOw MeOW*

i got dat prob too... if it werent for my mum, id be dead by now ^_^;;

actually, i do control myself, i play 2-3 hours a day depending, cause theres nothing to do after u finish ur hw and all.

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quote:

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Originally posted by YaaMaKoh
i got dat prob too... if it werent for my mum, id be dead by now ^_^;;

actually, i do control myself, i play 2-3 hours a day depending, cause theres nothing to do after u finish ur hw and all.

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immagijibae: seons a hoeeeeeee, he wears them g-strings, and i also knowwwww, they hurt his dinga-lings~ la l alalala~ nanannan~ oh~ seons a hoeeeeee, he wears them g-strings..............
immagijibae: liiiiiiiiiiiiiike my new 1-minute-made-up song???????

how do you spend 3 days straight online??? thats terrible... no wonder he died... no social life...

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Enter My Head!

pple should listen to their parents... tisk tisk

dangggg....buh i kno sum ppl who are lyk dat, so i can understand....

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...

wow.

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He remembered us when we were in trouble. His love continues forever. PSALM 136:23