By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Do you get anxious when not connected to the Internet? Do you prefer chatting with virtual buddies than spending time with family and real-life friends? Do you give up sleeping or eating to surf the Web?
If you answered yes to these questions, it may be that you're showing early signs of Internet addiction. But don't worry, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS) says it will offer help through its beefed-up counseling service.
With partial service kicking off Wednesday, users can log on to www.iapc.or.kr or call 1599-0075 for counseling from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Message boards, live chats and question and answer forums will be available online so that visitors can get access to a wide range of information, the ministry said Tuesday.
Online services will be opened fully in June.
It said that the upgraded service took into account that Internet addicts prefer anonymity, desire quick replies and online communication, as opposed to the telephone.
South Korea, one of the world's most wired countries, is at the forefront of tackling Internet addiction, as up to 30 percent of the country's population under 18, or about 2.4 million people, are at risk of Web obsession, according to government data.
The MOPAS effort is the latest string of solutions that the Korean government has come up with to grapple with rising Internet addiction. Since 2002, the Seoul-based Center for Internet Addiction Prevention and Counseling has been offering support to those seeking it.
The Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity & Promotion (KADO) has also been providing free counseling to visitors, mostly teenagers addicted to online games.
``Raising awareness that Internet addiction is a serious problem is important,'' said a MOPAS official who added that a month-long government-led promotion is set to begin in May.
Experts say that frequent Internet users should take a self-administered test to examine their condition.
Some of the symptoms they suggested to watch out for are avoiding physical activity and social life to go online, neglecting responsibilities at home, work or school to surf the Web, feeling a constant need to go online and denying the possibility of being an Internet addict.
They say that Internet addiction can be harmful when users fall into gambling, excessive online gaming and cybersex.