FP News Features

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Volunteers help SKorea battle online porn; one says it's 'like shovelling snow in a blizzard'

By: Hyung-Jin Kim, The Associated Press

Posted: 12/9/2012 11:12 PM | Comments: 0

In this Nov. 20, 2012 photo, Moon Tae-hwa, a devout Christian and family counselor, uses a desktop computer to hunt down online pornography at his office in Seoul, South Korea. Moon is among the most successful members of the “Nuri Cops” (roughly “net cops”), a squad of nearly 800 volunteers who help government censors by patrolling the Internet for pornography in their spare time. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea - Moon Tae-Hwa stares at his computer, dizzy and nauseous from the hours of porn he's viewed online. He feels no shame — he says he's "cleaning up dirty things."

Moon is among the most successful members of the "Nuri Cops" (roughly "net cops"), a squad of nearly 800 volunteers who help government censors by patrolling the Internet for pornography in their spare time.

Unlike most developed nations, pornography is illegal in South Korea, though it remains easy for its tech-savvy population to find. More than 90 per cent of South Korea's homes have high-speed Internet access, and more than 30 million of its 50 million people own smartphones.

Moon says it's like "shovelling snow in a blizzard," but neither he nor the government show any sign of giving up the fight.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More FP News Features

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.