Six teenagers in South Gyeongsang Province admitted to gambling and voluntarily reported themselves to police. One middle school student even persuaded friends who gambled together to turn themselves in.
The South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency announced on the 5th the results of a three-month voluntary reporting period for youth gambling and drug use. Police accepted self-reports from December 1 last year through February 28.
During the three-month period, one high school student and five middle school students admitted to gambling and reported themselves to the 117 School Violence Reporting Center. According to police, they came forward after seeing promotional materials about the voluntary reporting program. Three of the middle school students were friends—one reported first, then encouraged the others to do the same. No drug-related self-reports were received.
Police investigation confirmed that the teenagers used between 200,000 won and approximately 11 million won ($8,000) for gambling. Police plan to conduct comprehensive evaluations considering gambling amounts and risk of reoffending before determining follow-up measures such as conditional dismissal with guidance, summary trials, or formal charges.
Police also assessed the psychological state of the self-reporting teenagers and connected them with specialized counseling programs. Guidance measures will focus on preventing recurrence.
An official from the Youth Protection Division of the South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency said, "We plan to show maximum leniency to teenagers who report even after the voluntary reporting period ends," adding, "We are considering operating another intensive reporting period in the second half of this year."
During the three-month campaign, police conducted 5,061 promotional activities using electronic billboards and public transportation advertising. With assistance from the Jinju branch of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, promotional messages were also displayed on 2,106 ATM screens.