Jorge Werthein

SKorea targets Internet

addicts; 2 million hooked

By Associated Press

Thursday, April 22, 2010

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Day and night, Lee Mi-hwa's son stays on his computer, slaying dragons in his online fantasy world while his dinner and homework sit untouched.

Lee says the 15-year-old fights her attempts to get him to log off, screaming and physically lashing out at her entreaties. She pulls up her sleeves to reveal bruises she says come from his blows.

Her son is among some 2 million people classified by the government as "Internet addicts" in South Korea, a nation of 49 million considered one of the most technologically wired in the world.

Some are becoming increasingly violent. Last month, a couple let their 3-month-old starve while they raised a virtual child in an online game, spending most of their days at an Internet cafe instead of caring for their newborn, police said.

The baby looked like "a mummy" because she had not been fed for so long, according to a Suwon police officer who investigated the case. He asked that his name not be used because the investigation was still under way.

In February, a 22-year-old bludgeoned his mother to death for "nagging" him about playing Internet games, police said. He then played games online for hours, paying with his mother's credit card, a police statement said.

Such incidents have alarmed the country, with the public calling for better measures against gaming addictions. The government announced last month it would take action by restricting access to popular online games, and is sending counselors to elementary schools to teach children about healthy Internet usage.

"It's a little ironic that what was invented to make our lives better has come to make it worse for some," said Park Hye-kyung, director of the I Will Center, a government-funded counseling center created in December to focus on the growing issue of Internet addiction.

"Internet addiction" may not be recognized as a medical condition or psychiatric disorder, but it often serves as a symptom of more serious underlying mental disorders such as attention deficit disorder and depression, said Dr. Kim Tae-hoon, a psychiatrist who treats teenagers.

Kim said the Internet is almost too readily available in South Korea. More than 90 percent of homes have broadband Internet access, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In addition to widespread broadband, Internet cafes known as "PC rooms" are open 24 hours throughout the country.

"In South Korea it's easier for citizens to play online games than to invest in their offline personal relations through face-to-face conversations," he added. "People are becoming growingly numb to human interaction."

Three out of 10 adults and some 26 percent of teenagers are addicted gamers, according to Eo Gee-jun, president of the Korea Computer Life Institute.

"Children start to play Internet games when they become fourth-or fifth-graders," Eo told The Korea Times newspaper last month. "They tend to be more attached to them as they grow up."