The Korea Center on Gambling Problems (Director Shin Mi-kyung) announced on the 21st that it held a collaborative seminar with relevant organizations on the 20th at its training facility to strengthen the step-by-step response system for youth gambling issues, ranging from early detection to counseling, treatment, and social reintegration.
The seminar, held under the theme 'Finding Answers in the Field: Inter-agency Cooperation and Policy Tasks,' was organized to establish a cooperative system between schools, police, juvenile detention centers, and the Center, and to identify practical, field-oriented policy tasks.
In particular, it was emphasized that because youth gambling issues are difficult to solve through prevention education alone, there is a critical need for an integrated response system that detects warning signs early and connects them to professional counseling, treatment, and continuous recovery support.
In the first session, Hwang Sun-young, Team Leader of the Center's Treatment and Rehabilitation Support Team, along with Lee Yoon-ji, Team Leader of the Sejong-Chungbuk Center, and Kim Jung-eun, Director of the Busan-Ulsan Center, shared cases accumulated in the field of youth gambling counseling and treatment, as well as achievements in inter-agency cooperation.
In the second session, Woo Jin-seok, a teacher at Wongok Middle School, Oh Ju-hong, an inspector at Busan Sasang Police Station, and Ko Hyun, a probation officer at Anyang Juvenile Detention Center, presented their experiences in responding to youth gambling issues within the fields of education, police, and justice.
Participants discussed the roles of each institution and cooperation strategies, covering school-based prevention education, early detection of at-risk students, on-site intervention by School Police Officers (SPO), and support for counseling, treatment, and community reintegration within juvenile detention facilities.
There was a consensus on the need to strengthen linkages between relevant agencies to ensure that support remains uninterrupted from initial response to professional treatment and follow-up care.
Director Shin Mi-kyung stated, "I hope the field experiences and diverse opinions shared at this seminar will lead to practical policy tasks that strengthen cooperation among agencies and provide timely help to youth in need."
Meanwhile, the Korea Center on Gambling Problems provides prevention education, counseling, and treatment services through 15 regional centers nationwide. Individuals and families struggling with gambling issues can receive free counseling via the helpline 1336, text message #1336, or the KakaoTalk chatbot.
