Korea can learn from Britain's bipartisan crime strategy

The youth gambling problem is no longer limited to a small subset of troubled teens. Strong criminal justice responses must be paired with institutional protections for vulnerable youth.

Park Jun-hwi

The author is senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice and president of the Korean Criminological Association

Online gambling among Korean adolescents is worsening. According to the Korea Center on Gambling Problems, 4.3 percent of teens had engaged in gambling as of early 2024. That translates to roughly 170,000 teenagers nationwide. Experts warn that the actual number may be higher, given the tendency to underreport. In a police crackdown last November, about half the nearly 10,000 individuals caught were under the age of 19.

This is not a new trend. In November 2023, the previous administration formed a cross-ministerial task force involving nine government agencies, including the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Justice led an initiative to introduce a “Special Act on the Eradication of Online Illegal Gambling.” Although the legislation was nearly finalized, complete with supplementary provisions, the process was abandoned following the political turmoil surrounding the Dec. 3 martial law incident.

A gang member charged with operating an illegal gambling site is sent to the prosecutors' office on May 30. [GYEONGGI NAMBU PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY]

Recently, however, interest in the special legislation has resurfaced. At a seminar co-hosted in late June by the Korean Criminological Association, the Gambling Industry Supervisory Commission and Kangwon Land, legal experts and policymakers discussed measures outlined in the draft law. Among the most notable were the proposals presented by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Su-jin, who worked with the initial task force.

One key proposal is freezing payment accounts used in gambling-related crimes — a tactic already applied in voice phishing investigations. Cutting off financial access is among the most fundamental ways to prevent crime and apprehend suspects. Another proposal is the rapid blocking of illegal gambling websites and suspension of phone numbers used in these operations. While tipoffs are incentivized with cash rewards, the actual process of shutting down websites involves the Korea Communications Standards Commission and often takes weeks, sometimes months.

Jeon also proposed leniency for criminal informants. Because organized gambling schemes rely on internal coordination, it is virtually impossible to dismantle networks or prosecute ringleaders without insider cooperation. Additional proposals included establishing clear legal penalties for operating gambling services targeting children, criminalizing online gambling advertisements, creating a fund for addiction prevention and recovery and codifying asset forfeiture to recover illicit gains.

In many cases, teenagers who engage in online gambling ultimately become victims of fraud. The structure of these illegal platforms is designed to ensure users cannot win. At the seminar, counselor Lim Jeong-min emphasized that adolescent gambling should not be viewed as delinquency, but rather as a reaction to harmful environments and social isolation.

Another panelist noted that the Justice Ministry had quietly removed illegal gambling from its 2024 policy evaluation criteria. This disconnect is troubling, given the escalating severity of the issue. Some public officials have even expressed uncertainty about whether the teenage gambling problem warrants inclusion as a national policy priority. But this should not be a matter of debate.

Britain offers a meaningful comparison. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the nation experienced a sharp rise in crime that led to widespread social unrest. Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government responded with strong law-and-order policies during her decade in office. These included expanding police powers, cracking down on antisocial behavior in public spaces, expanding CCTV coverage, tightening parole conditions and increasing penalties for juvenile crime.

Crucially, this approach remained consistent even after the Labour Party came to power under Prime Minister Tony Blair. Regardless of political affiliation, governments continued to implement policies deemed necessary for public safety. In time, this bipartisan consistency contributed to a significant drop in crime and transformed the UK into a safer society.

An illegal gambling website run by a gang caught in Suwon, Gyeonggi [GYEONGGI NAMBU PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY]

Blair also introduced a complementary set of social welfare measures, addressing structural causes of crime such as poverty and education. His approach combined strong criminal enforcement with social policy — a “dual strategy” aimed at both symptoms and root causes.

Korea’s current administration has emphasized pragmatism. If viable policy solutions were developed by a previous government, they should be adopted without hesitation. The teenage gambling problem is no longer limited to a small subset of troubled teens. It has already begun to penetrate military settings. Strong criminal justice responses must be paired with institutional protections for vulnerable children.

Korea does not need to choose between punishment and prevention. Both are essential.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.