Actor Ma Dong-seok poses for a photo as part of a campaign to warn youth against illegal cyber gambling. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

The police issued the first “emergency school bell” of the year in response to the recent surge in cyber gambling and proxy deposits by teenagers. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on May 19 that it would issue the “emergency school bell” to 1,374 schools and 780,000 parents in Seoul. The “emergency school bell” is a system that notifies schools and parents in real time of information on new juvenile crime damage and countermeasures.

A proxy deposit is a high-interest debenture that lends a small amount of money less than 100,000 won for a short period of time and earns 1,000 percent interest at an annualized rate. In March, a middle school student who lost 16 million won in cyber gambling committed theft to raise funds and received 3 million won through a proxy deposit, but was urged to pay debt every day.

For two months from the 20th, the police will also conduct a survey of schools and parents in downtown Seoul on their experiences in gambling and proxy deposits for teenagers.

The police will also run an “intensive intelligence collection period” until September to crack down on illegal online gambling sites and proxy deposit operations. In cooperation with related agencies, it will make promotional videos to prevent damage and provide counseling and treatment to prevent a recurrence.

The “emergency school bell” has been issued four times in the past year for drug drink cases targeting teenagers in Gangnam, online murder threats, and youth gambling.