(Break News Incheon Reporter Park Sang-do) On the 18th, the Incheon City Council announced that the youth gambling participation and addiction figure in the Incheon region was found to be the second highest among 17 cities and provinces nationwide.
According to the Incheon City Council, looking at the data provided by Education Committee member Lee Oh-sang (Min, Namdong-gu 3) on the 17th from the National Police Agency (National Investigation Headquarters), a special crackdown on cyber gambling was conducted from September last year to October this year, and youth (19 years old) 4,715 people were arrested, and 826 of them were found to be teenagers in the Incheon area.
This ranks second out of 17 cities and provinces nationwide, clearly showing the seriousness of Incheon’s student gambling problem.
In addition, according to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, from January to September of this year, the number of youth gambling addiction patients and medical treatment claims in Incheon were 33 and 123, respectively, the second highest after Seoul. In particular, the number of addicted patients was 11 in 2020 (11). ) increased three times.
Looking at the related budget trend provided by the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, the total this year is 65 million won, a significant increase compared to 2022 (8 million won), but a significant portion of the budget is focused on promotional campaigns such as leaflet production and distribution.
Rep. Lee Oh-sang said, “Producing promotional materials may have a certain effect in preventing gambling, but the cost is too high, and it is more important to budget for educational programs that can help students and parents feel the dangers of gambling and develop problem-solving skills.” pointed out.
Although the Incheon Office of Education is implementing gambling prevention education for students, teachers, and parents, it remains at the recommended level.
According to the Incheon Office of Education’s ‘2024 Student Gambling Prevention Education Plan’, it is only recommended that school administrators and teachers in charge, as well as education for students, faculty, and parents, be conducted for at least one hour once a year.
According to the National Police Agency’s special crackdown on cyber gambling targeting teenagers published in April this year, the importance of education to prevent gambling crimes in schools is emphasized, saying, “According to Article 9 of the School Health Act, school principals must provide mandatory gambling addiction prevention education.” .
In addition, according to the ‘Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education Student Gambling Prevention Education Ordinance’, it is stated that a working committee can be established under the Gambling Prevention Education Committee to handle delegated matters, but it turns out that no working committee has actually been formed.
The working committee is an organization that can play an important role in concretely implementing and monitoring the policies of the Prevention Education Committee, and is necessary to ensure that actual prevention activities are effective in the field.
Rep. Lee Oh-sang said, “Despite the fact that Incheon’s youth gambling problem has reached a serious situation, the current ordinance and the prevention system of the Office of Education are not producing practical effects.” He added, “There is a need for practical improvement of the system, such as revising the ordinance to prevent gambling.” “He emphasized.
He also asked, “I hope that the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education will be more responsible and make efforts to prevent social problems caused by gambling addiction.”
Incheon City Council Member Lee Oh-sang, Incheon Youth Gambling Addiction Patients and Claims, Highest Record Excluding Seoul
National Police Agency Cyber Gambling Special Crackdown, Incheon Youth Arrested 2nd Nationwide
-Break News Incheon Park Sang-do reporter
Incheon City Council announced on the 18th that the number of youth gambling participation and addiction in Incheon was the second highest among 17 cities and provinces nationwide.
According to Incheon City Council, according to data provided to Education Committee member Lee Oh-sang (Min, Namdong-gu 3) from the National Police Agency (National Investigation Headquarters) on the 17th, from September of last year to October of this year, 4,715 youths (under 19 years old) were arrested in a special crackdown on cyber gambling, and 826 of them were youths in Incheon.
This is the second highest among 17 cities and provinces nationwide, clearly showing the seriousness of Incheon’s student gambling problem.
Also, according to the data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, the number of Incheon youth gambling addiction patients and the number of medical claims were 33 and 123, respectively, from January to September this year, the second highest after Seoul. In particular, the number of addicted patients increased threefold from 2020 (11).
Assemblyman Lee Oh-sang pointed out that “while the production of promotional materials may have a certain effect on gambling prevention, the cost is too high, while the budget for educational programs that allow students and parents to experience the risks of gambling and cultivate problem-solving skills is more important.”
The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education is implementing gambling prevention education for students, teachers, and parents, but it is only at the recommended level.
According to the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education’s ‘2024 Student Gambling Prevention Education Plan’, training for school administrators and teachers in charge and education for students, faculty, and parents are only recommended to be conducted once a year for at least 1 hour.
According to the ‘National Police Agency Cyber Gambling Special Crackdown Results for Youth’ announced in April of this year, ‘According to Article 9 of the School Health Act, school principals must implement mandatory gambling addiction prevention education’, emphasizing the importance of gambling crime prevention education in schools.
In addition, according to the ‘Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education Student Gambling Prevention Education Ordinance’, it is stated that a working committee is established under the Gambling Prevention Education Committee to handle delegated matters, but it was found that the working committee has not actually been formed.
The working committee is an organization that can play an important role in specifically implementing and monitoring the policies of the Prevention Education Committee, and is necessary to ensure that actual prevention activities are effective in the field.
Rep. Lee Oh-sang emphasized, “Despite the seriousness of the youth gambling problem in Incheon, the current ordinance and the education office’s prevention system are not producing any real effect,” and “Substantial institutional improvements are needed, such as revising the ordinance to prevent gambling.” He also asked, “I hope the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education will work harder with a greater sense of responsibility to prevent social problems caused by gambling addiction in advance.”
View original article:ebreaknews.com
What are the key statistics and trends regarding youth gambling addiction in Incheon compared to other regions in South Korea?
Q1: Can you please explain the current situation regarding youth gambling participation and addiction in Incheon and its ranking compared to other cities and provinces nationwide?
Q2: How does the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data support the claim about the increase in youth gambling addiction patients and medical claims in Incheon?
Q3: What are the main aspects of the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education’s ‘2024 Student Gambling Prevention Education Plan’, and how effective do you believe it is in addressing this issue?
Q4: How does the National Police Agency’s special crackdown on cyber gambling targeting teenagers relate to the responsibility of schools in providing mandatory gambling addiction prevention education?
Q5: In your opinion, what factors contribute to the high number of youth gambling addiction cases in Incheon, and what measures should be taken to prevent it from further escalating?
Q6: Do you think revising the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education Student Gambling Prevention Education Ordinance would help address the issue of youth gambling addiction? If so, what specific changes would you recommend?
Q7: What role can the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education play in educating students, teachers, and parents about the dangers of gambling addiction?
Q8: What challenges does the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education face while implementing gambling prevention education programs, and how can these be overcome?
Q9: Are there any successful gambling prevention initiatives implemented in other cities or provinces that could be replicated in Incheon? If so, what are they?
Q10: what message would you like to convey to the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education regarding the need for proactive measures to address youth gambling addiction in the area?
