South Korea plans to strengthen support for teenagers with gambling addiction — Korea Herald

South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to improve the system for identifying teenagers with gambling addiction and referring them for treatment. This was reported by Korea Herald, citing a ministry statement.

The plans were discussed during Minister Won Min-kyung’s visit to the Korea Gambling Problem Agency in Seoul. According to the agency, teenagers accounted for 24.3% of users of its gambling addiction treatment services in 2025, compared with 6.2% in 2021.

Early detection and referral

The ministry intends to strengthen support at all stages, from early problem detection to treatment and rehabilitation. Particular attention is planned for training youth counsellors and frontline workers so that they can recognize signs of addiction and direct teenagers to appropriate services.

The Youth Gambling Gatekeeper program currently holds five training sessions per year for a total of 240 participants. The agency assigns two specialized instructors to each session.

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Cooperation between services

The ministry also plans to simplify referral procedures between youth counselling centers and specialized treatment institutions. The parties separately discussed cooperation on a voluntary reporting program for teenagers involved in online gambling.

Each year, the ministry conducts a survey among first-year middle and high school students to identify those at risk of developing addiction. Students who need assistance can first receive counselling at youth counselling centers and social welfare centers and then be referred to specialized institutions.

Won Min-kyung said that effectively addressing the problem of teenage gambling requires close cooperation between youth organizations and specialized treatment institutions.