Smartphones have helped Korean military conscripts feel connected to society since the government permitted usage nationwide in 2019, but for some, that access has come with a cost — literally.
Online gambling and its easy accessibility have contributed to mounting debt for enlistees.
The number of military personnel who engaged in illegal gambling increased to 478 in 2024, 18.9 percent more than the 402 in 2021, according to data shared by People Power Party Rep. Park Jun-tae last year.
The entertainment-for-some, vice-for-others — which is illegal for Koreans both at home and even abroad — has made some soldiers lose an amount that is impossible to repay with just their wages. One marine reportedly lost 192…