THE "GAMBLING REPUBLIC": CAUGHT IN THE NET OF

UNCLAS SEOUL 002917 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KS SUBJECT: THE "GAMBLING REPUBLIC": CAUGHT IN THE NET OF SEA-GATE SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) A scandal surrounding a video gambling craze is sweeping the nation and on August 25 has captured the front page of Seoul newspapers for the fifth straight day. The scandal centers on suspicion of bribes and kickbacks related to the approval of a new type of digital slot machine and its accompanying compensation scheme that has recently exploded onto the scene of gaming centers throughout the nation. With speculation of involvement by President Roh Moo-hyun's nephew, the issue involves the Chong Wa Dae (President's office) as well as the ruling Uri Party and opposition Grand National Party (GNP). Beyond the high-level political attention to this scandal, many Koreans are also crying foul about the broader social impact of the gambling boom that has seized the country. POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Over the weekend of August 19-20, the Korean media launched an attack against the president's nephew, Roh Ji-won. The press implicated nephew Roh as having been a key player in the illegal business deals related to the promotion of the gambling craze. Initially, Roh Ji-won claimed that he turned down a sales position at Woojyun Systec, the company that received a nearly $2,700 government grant and was later acquired by the distributor of "Sea Story," the largest chain of video gambling stores. However, it has been discovered that Roh Ji-won did in fact work as a sales executive at Woojyun. President Roh quickly spoke out in support of his nephew and assured the public that his nephew was innocent. By the time this story broke, President Roh had already stated on August 13 that, "the only problem occurring during my presidency was the gift certificates used in adult video arcades". Many took this admission as an attempt by Roh to draw attention away from his nephew and direct investigators to focus more on who is responsible for regulating the issuance of the prize certificates. Roh's tactic may have worked as the current focus has shifted away from Roh to government regulators involved in the gaming industry. THE GAMBLING REPUBLIC -------------- ¶3. (SBU) As the frequency of the highly visible gaming centers or video shops increases, the public's awareness and concern over the large amounts of money trading hands is also rising dramatically. Many in the press are using the term "Gambling Republic" to express the pervasive nature of the gambling halls. (NOTE: The most common chain of game centers is "Sea Story" whose storefronts are decorated in bright blue and orange colors with a sea-themed backdrop. There are currently 15,000 video shops throughout the country with more opening every day. END NOTE.). Also bringing attention to the issue were the suicides of two people financially overextended as a result of a gambling addiction. ¶4. (SBU) On August 13, a man by the surname Son hung himself from a tree because he could not pay back a nearly $100,000 debt due to his addiction to game parlors. On June 16, a housewife committed suicide by slitting her wrists because she could not pay back a credit card debt of nearly $90,000 accrued from gambling services in Internet PC parlors. Such suicides have led to an increasingly public outcry to address gambling as a pervasive and growing social problem. The Christian Ethics Movement (CEM),a civic group, has become a leading voice in a campaign against addictive arcade games and is calling for legal measures to abolish them. The CEM estimates that 3.8 percent of the Korean population, or 1.3 million adults, are severely addicted to gambling. The addiction is more prominent among lower-income workers who wish an easy route to hit it big. HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED -------------- ¶5. (SBU) While gambling is officially illegal in Korea, the latest way to get around the law is for the slot machines to issue paper certificates to winners instead of cash, thereby avoiding the letter of the anti-gambling law. The maximum limit on prize money from video arcades is roughly $21, but several game rooms have also been accused of altering the computer chip in the machines to allow payouts as high as $2,550. The paper certificates are promptly taken outside of the gaming establishment and exchanged for cash, minus a 10 percent service fee. While arcade owners cannot operate exchange booths inside the arcade, anyone who registers with the appropriate agency can operate an exchange booth. As a result, arcade owners acquire the exchange booths by registering under someone else's name and reap the benefits from the gift voucher commissions. ¶6. (SBU) When the Korea Game Development and Promotion Institute approved the issuance of gift certificates for 19 companies in December 2004, the original notion was that the certificates would be exchanged for "cultural items" such as books. The reality is that the vast majority (approximately 98 percent) of the coupons are exchanged for cash with the total value of certificates issued in the past year estimated at over $25 billion dollars. (NOTE: Put into context, the amount of winnings issued in the past year exceeds the national defense budget, which is $23 billion dollars. END NOTE.). According to the Financial Supervisory Service, around $40 billion dollars worth of gift certificates are currently in circulation. OPPORTUNITY OR THREAT? -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Bang Hwa-seop, Chief of Staff for policy for Rep. Song, Young Gil (Uri),opined that Sea Story was not a crisis, but actually an opportunity. He told poloff that the government has been considering legalizing some forms of gambling in a few cities (Jeju, Incheon, Busan) for years, to create profitable, legal gaming areas like Las Vegas or Macau. "Sea Story" was now forcing the government to focus on the issue such that it may spawn some actual reform. In an editorial on August 16 in the "JoongAng Ilbo," the author suggested that Korea adopt a similar model to Japan's approach to the pachinko issue. Pachinko developers willingly inserted tracking chips into the machines to allow tax auditors to both collect taxes and monitor payouts to remove any illegal aspects of the industry. This action legitimized the industry and forced out organized crime while also allowing pachinko businesses to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Opposition and ruling party members alike such as Uri Party floor leader, Kim Han-gill, have criticized President Roh for his preoccupation with asserting his lack of involvement in the scandal by framing the issue as an administrative error. Rather, the core issue is whether politicians used their influence to create a loophole that legitimized and promoted illegal gambling and inadvertently contributed to a growing social and economic problem. The Media Rating Board, which reviews games for consumer release, and the Korea Game Development and Promotion Institute, the agency in charge of issuing the "cultural" gift certificates, are clearly implicated, but it has yet to be determined who is responsible for the policy and how close they are to the Blue House. Records from National Election Commission, which tracks political contributions that exceed $2,100 dollars, indicate that at least three prominent lawmakers, including Kang Jae-sup, the Chairman of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP),received contributions from Sammi Corporation, one of the companies that issue the gift certificates. Freshman National Assembly representative Chae Su-chan of the Uri Party told poloff on August 23 that although there is probably no real substance to the scandal, the main opposition GNP and the media will fan the flame to a "big wave" long in coming. STANTON