November 19, 200717 yr http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/18/south-korea-puts-boot South Korea puts boot to cyberspace addiction Stupid is as Stupid does By John Oram: Sunday, 18 November 2007, 8:39 PM OK, IF YOU'RE reading this one you probably have it. Cyberspace addiction, that is! So quick, get your airline ticket to South Korea and enter the Jump Up Internet Rescue School. There, you will learn to get up from your keyboard by going ?through military-style obstacle courses," where counselors lead group sessions, and ... "even therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming? says the International Herald Tribune. INQminds have a simpler and less expensive suggestion: take a long walk around your local neighbourhood. South Korea appears to be breaking addictive behaviour pattern with lots of regimented drills. They are a major part of what the South Korean boot camp is suggesting you do. South Korea has a checklist for diagnosing the addiction and its severity called the K-scale (K for Korea). The government claims 2.4 million people under 18 in South Korea are at risk (We're all doomed ? Ed). More young men all over the world would have this addiction if their local ISP worked as fast as the average South Korean high-speed broadband. Ninety percent of the country has blazingly fast, 3-megabits-per-second broadband at home, and similarly high-speed wireless connections on the road. Much faster than the Turks think USA's broadband is capable of. The telecom market in korea is fiercely competitive, and broadband service costs the Korean consumer less than $20 a month. The South Korean government is such a believer in its fix for this addiction that it has built a network of 140 Internet-addiction counseling centres along with treatment programs at over 100 hospitals. Obviously there is either a problem or a booming business model was sold to the public. American youth Boot Camps have a rather poor track record for assisting anybody. Do the Koreans have a better plan? ?
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