The Korean National Policy for Internet Addiction

Abstract

The Korean Government was the first in the world to develop a national policy to tackle the problem of Internet addiction. For this reason, it has received global attention. To combat the problem of Internet addiction, Korea has established specific laws and systems; a governance system is administrated in government offices, and a “master plan” (revised at three year intervals) has been developed. In addition to these measures, many practical spheres of counseling and treatment have also been established. Examples of Korea’s efforts to tackle the problem of Internet addiction include the development of the evaluation scale for Internet addiction, an extensive counseling program, and treatment systems linked to hospital care. This study comprehensively outlines Korea’s national policy on Internet addiction.