On 27th a discussion over constitutionality and double regulation of the shutdown system was held under the name of ‘Proposal to the Shutdown System’ at HongIk University SangSangMaDang. HyeJung Kim, a mother of two children and a school parent, attended and appealed her stance against the shutdown.

She roused attendees’ sympathy when she?talked her past hardship and recieved applause at the end of her talk.

Here is what her life was like in short.

She has two children aged 15 years old and 17 years old and the elder began playing games at the age of 15.

Her child became addictive to the games and is now having treatment possitively. What she found in the course of her experiece was that the problem came from neither her child nor the game. It was more about the environment and parents. The game was their only hideout, not a cause of the problem.

She stressed that all the problems have been derived from the parents’ pursuit in convenience after all. They have allowed or have neglected their children playing with computers as friends or babysitters since the very early age. They leaned on the computer which is much cheaper and easier than other activities to be free from their children without any effort to creat appropriate playing culture with family or friends. It was not children’s want, it was parents’ want inherently.

In a tight socity requesting only study, the game has provided children who have been robbed their time, place, and even friends from study an ideal entertainment that is not limited in space, time, and finance. It even offers making bunch of friends. It has been indeed an awesome hideout and an exit for their choking life.

There would be no parents who would stop their children from stuying late night. And there also would never be a legislative law that would force turning the light off in order to protect children’s sleeping and health rights from studying late.

The fact that government started considering teens’ health is welcome but they are pointing wrong. We all need to admit that the desolated personality due to the over-competitive education and the neglection of family and local society, poor family communication that could have not relieved the youngs’ stress, and closing and inrrational society encompasses our children caused this juvenile problem comprehensively.

She also spoke a few points against the bill. I will just summarize them because I am running our of time. ;)

1. It is a violation of children’s self decision. They can play a game late as they can?study late, read a book late, go out late with family.

2. Adults look children as secondclass citizens who do not have any ability of decision making for their own life and force them play the role adults regulate and commend. Teenagers should consider about the playing game late and its resposibility by themselves.

3. The excessively competitive education must be improved in advance if children’s health are truely considered.

4. It is useless. Children play games after school until dinner at most. Students who play games after midnight are very rare.

5. It would make our children potential lawbreakers or parents potential bystanders when children pirate their parents’ social number in order to play the game late. They would study inappropriate behaviour.

6. It would cause other youth conflicts such as absence, runaway, and so on.

7. It is a violation of right of educating children. Law should be minimized in the domain of individual and family problem.

The roles of government and us are clear as well.

1. We should prepare a persistent and repetitive prevention education.

2. Accessible and affordable facility and support are needed.

3. Education for parents along with their children is needed.

4. Development of substitute treatment and its distribution are needed.

5. We need to improve the excessive competition and meritocracy, and respect and encourage the self decision of the minors.

6. Parental education is needed in order to respect children’s diversity and human rights.