Significant rise in military online gambling in South Korea

The incidence of South Korean military soldiers and officers who gamble online whilst in barracks has soared more than 15 times over the past two years, prompting the military to introduce measures to deal with the issue, reports the Korean news agency Yonhap.

A total of some 230 enlisted troops and low-ranking officers have been flagged as having logged onto internet gambling sites from military bases this year, up sharply from just 18 last year and 15 in 2011, according to military statistics released Sunday.

Given the upward trend, the figure is expected to rise further by the end of this year.

Most of the gambling was accessed using on-base computers provided to help soldiers and officers achieve certificates of qualification or get credits from colleges and universities, a defence ministry official said.

“The ministry will take strict measures to prevent soldiers and officers from accessing gambling Internet sites in the barracks,” the official said, noting that computer usage was being monitored.

Last week, the ministry unveiled a set of measures that call for harsher punishment against soldiers and officers who are found to have logged on to internet gambling websites.

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