The Ministry of National Defense has begun reviewing the introduction of a voluntary reporting system for illegal gambling among troops, amid continued concerns that cyber gambling inside the military is more serious than official statistics indicate. The move signals a shift away from a punishment-centered approach toward encouraging reporting to bring the problem to light.
In response materials released on the 6th by the office of Rep. Cheon Ha-ram of the Reform Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, the ministry said, "We are currently reviewing the implementation of a voluntary reporting system for illegal gambling targeting service members." The ministry explained that measures being considered together include reducing administrative and criminal liability for those who report voluntarily and supporting their recovery through connections with specialized institutions.
The intent is to apply to the military the framework of the gambling voluntary reporting system that the government previously introduced for young people. Given that gambling takes place covertly, the approach is based on the judgment that incentives to report should come before punishment.
By the numbers, the scale of detection itself is not large. According to Army Headquarters figures, the number of people booked on cyber gambling charges last year was 313 (20 officers, 293 enlisted soldiers), a negligible proportion against the Army's total strength of 324,000. However, testimony suggests the reality is felt differently.
When Yonhap News Agency asked 30 discharged veterans born between 1997 and 2004 whether they had seen unit members engage in illegal gambling in the military, more than half—17 people (56%)—answered "yes." One account described a soldier who spent tens of millions of won in principal, interest, and government support funds, accumulated through the Service Members' Tomorrow Savings account, on paying off gambling debts after being discharged.
On loan brokerage websites, posts have appeared steadily such as, "I am a corporal receiving 1.2 million won a month. I can repay later with my military savings" (seeking a loan of 5 million won), and "On the 11th of next month I will receive 7.5 million won in matching support benefits from my military savings, so I can repay immediately."
The ministry said it is "preparing related measures based on the results of a survey on military illegal gambling," and that it will consider whether to conduct additional investigations by comprehensively reviewing the progress of prevention measures, occurrence trends, and changes in conditions. Among the 52 people who became subjects of in-depth investigation in the survey, 80% had experienced gambling before enlistment or commissioning.
The ministry explained that it currently dispatches instructors to provide financial and economic education for all service members, and that for those caught, it carries out recovery measures such as connections with gambling problem prevention and treatment centers, personal rehabilitation, and debt adjustment, separately from criminal punishment.
Rep. Cheon urged, "Since this is a side effect that has arisen amid the changed environment of increased soldiers' pay and the allowance of smartphones, the Ministry of National Defense should not stop at a general review but must prepare more active, effective, and extraordinary measures."
He also stressed, "To solve the problem of gambling that has gone underground, clear reductions in criminal liability and immunity incentives are essential."
