FROW 802: CHILDREN OF THE TALIBAN
AIRDATE: APRIL 14, 2009
Announcer: Tonight on Frontline World TWO stories from a small planet. First in Pakistan.
SOT: The city is on high alert. The Taliban seem to be closing in//kidnapping diplomats, shooting foreigners…
ANNOUNCER: Correspondent Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy investigates the rising popularity of a new branch of the Taliban…THEY ARE now threatening the major cities…blowing up girls’ schools….and declaring war on the Pakistani state.
Sharmeen: Do you think you can win this war?
SOT: It’s better to die than to live under an environment where the Taliban are taking away your children.
ANNOUNCER: And, then, in SOUTH Korea… It’s been called ‘the most wired place on earth.’
Rushkoff: A whole generation of kids seemed to be down in this smoky basement…
But, now, correspondent Douglas Rushkoff finds a country dealing with the costs of its digital revolution.
Dr. Ahn: It’s definitely an addiction…
Mr. Shim: I’m thinking if I can't control him right now, I may lose my son.
Does the next generation need digital detox?
PAKISTAN: CHILDREN OF THE TALIBAN
REPORTED BY SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY
THIS IS PESHAWAR, A CITY OF THREE MILLION PEOPLE ON THE EDGE OF PAKISTAN’S LAWLESS TRIBAL AREAS.
JUST A FEW MILES FROM HERE, THE PAKISTANI ARMY IS FIGHTING THE PAKISTANI TALIBAN – ISLAMIC MILITANTS WHO SHARE A HARDLINE IDEOLOGY WITH THEIR AFGHAN COUNTERPARTS.
THE CONFLICT HAS KILLED NEARLY 7,000 PEOPLE IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE.
Sharmeen: The city is on high alert. The Taliban seem to be closing in regularly attacking police convoys, kidnapping diplomats, shooting foreigners…
THE FIGHTING HAS DRIVEN THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES FROM THEIR HOMES IN THE CONFLICT AREAS.
MANY OF THEM ARE NOW SHELTERING HERE IN PESHAWAR.
THIS REHABILITATION CENTRE TREATS PEOPLE CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE BETWEEN THE ARMY AND THE MILITANTS.
QAINAT IS TEN. SHE’S BEEN LIVING HERE FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS – A MORTAR MEANT FOR THE TALIBAN LANDED ON HER HOUSE.
HER MOTHER HAS A SPINAL CORD INJURY. HER SISTER AND MOST OF HER EXTENDED FAMILY WERE KILLED.
Mother: Do you miss your sister?
Qainat: I miss her but there is nothing we can do.
Mother: God brought it upon us, what can we do?
Daughter: I think of her all the time…
Sharmeen: Who in your family was killed in that attack?
Qainat: My sister, my aunt, my sister-in-law…my cousin, another aunt, my cousin’s daughter… my second cousin, and her sons.
Sharmeen: Have you seen the Taliban in your area?
Qainat: Yes I’ve seen them. They wear masks. They’re scary. When we see them we run back home.One day we were walking to our village. We saw the dead body of a policeman tied to a pole. The Taliban don’t spare government people or policemen.His head had been chopped off. It was hanging between his legs. There was a note saying…if anyone moved the dead body, they would share its fate.
BEFORE THE TALIBAN TOOK CONTROL OF QAINAT’S VILLAGE, THE WOMEN IN HER FAMILY ATTENDED UNIVERSITY AND WORKED.
BUT QAINAT TELLS ME THE TALIBAN HAVE NOW BANNED GIRLS FROM GOING TO SCHOOL.
Sharmeen: What would you like to be when you grow up?
Qainat: A doctor.
Sharmeen: Why do you want to be a doctor?
Qainat: So I can give injections to people. And help my mother now she’s ill.
Sharmeen: But the Taliban say you can’t become a doctor. So what will happen?
Qainat: It’s peaceful right here. I’ll become a doctor here.
HER FAMILY’S SAVINGS ARE RUNNING OUT. SOON QAINAT WILL HAVE TO RETURN TO HER VILLAGE - WHERE THE TALIBAN ARE FIGHTING THE ARMY.
QAINAT’S FROM SWAT, A 100-MILE LONG VALLEY IN THE NORTH OF PAKISTAN, THREE HOURS DRIVE FROM PESHAWAR.
UNTIL RECENTLY SWAT WAS KNOWN AS THE SWITZERLAND OF THE EAST, AND HAD A THRIVING TOURIST INDUSTRY.
BUT ALL THAT CHANGED WHEN THE PAKISTANI TALIBAN ARRIVED.
Sharmeen: We’re about an hour outside of Swat and even though the Taliban don’t control this area they do have influence here so I have to cover up properly.
TWO YEARS AGO, HUNDREDS OF TALIBAN FIGHTERS MOVED INTO SWAT FROM THE ADJOINING TRIBAL AREAS WHEN THEIR HIDEOUTS WERE ATTACKED BY THE PAKISTANI ARMY. EXTREMIST PREACHERS HERE GAVE THEM REFUGE.
SWATI WOMEN NEVER WORE THE BURQA, NOW THE HANDFUL OF WOMEN I SEE ON THE STREETS ARE ALL COVERED.
THE TALIBAN CREATE FEAR THROUGH THEIR RADIO BROADCASTS.
Taliban Preacher on Radio: Sharia Law is our right, and we will exercise this right whatever happens. I swear to God we will shed our own blood to achieve this. We will make our sons suicide bombers! We will make ourselves suicide bombers! I swear to God if our leader orders me, I will sacrifice myself… and blow myself up in the middle of our enemies.
I ARRIVE IN QAINAT’S VILLAGE. THE TALIBAN HERE HAVE A NEW TARGET - SCHOOLS.
Sharmeen: The Taliban have destroyed over 200 government schools in Swat and a few days ago they declared that no girls were going to be allowed to go to school here.
FOUR HUNDRED GIRLS STUDIED HERE.
MOST OF THEM ARE TOO SCARED TO TALK ABOUT THE TALIBAN. BUT TWO NINE YEAR OLDS WANT TO TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.
Zarlash: I am really angry.
Ruksar: I’m really worried. Our school has been destroyed.
Zarlash: It’s completely unfair.
Sharmeen: Why did you like school?
Ruksar: Because education is like a ray of light and I want that light
Sharmeen: What will happen to girls if the Taliban come to power?
Zarlash: We’ll stay at home. My father has bought me a burqa. So I’ll have to wear that.
Sharmeen: Do you like wearing a burqa?
Zarlash: No. I always trip up in it
SUDDENLY A REMINDER THAT SWAT IS ON THE FRONTLINE.
Sharmeen: What was that?
Zarlash: An explosion. The sound of a mortar.
Sharmeen: A mortar?
Sharmeen: We can hear some firing
OUR LOCAL CONTACT CHECKS WHAT’S GOING ON.
Local Contact (Off Camera): We were just told the Taliban have surrounded the area. They came here, I just spoke to a Talib. He told us to get out of here as soon as possible.
Sharmeen: The girls were going to give me a tour of their destroyed school but because the Taliban have surrounded the area we have to leave immediately
WE’RE TOLD THE TALIBAN ARE GETTING READY TO ATTACK AN ARMY CONVOY.
ONE OF THE GIRLS SAYS WE CAN SHELTER AT HER HOME UNTIL THE FIGHTING STOPS.
WE DRIVE THROUGH THE MAIN SQUARE.
LOCALS HAVE RENAMED IT KHOONI CHOWK –
BLOODY SQUARE – BECAUSE OF THE PUBLIC BEHEADINGS THE TALIBAN CARRY OUT HERE.
WHEN WE GET INSIDE, THE FATHER OF ONE OF THE GIRLS DESCRIBES WHAT SWAT IS LIKE UNDER THE TALIBAN.
IT’S VERY DANGEROUS FOR HIM TO SPEAK OUT – IN THE PAST THE TALIBAN HAVE KILLED THOSE WHO OPENLY DEFY THEM. BUT HE INSISTS.
Sharmeen: Are people scared when they listen to the radio?
Father: Obviously we are afraid, but you know why we listen? To know the latest Taliban edicts so we can obey them. The majority of people don’t listen for fun. But they listen.
Sharmeen: Is it affecting people?
Father: People are psychologically affected. Deeply depressed. If you look at people’s faces, you see a sadness. No-one can say anything. Our mouths are locked up. Our thoughts are chained.
THREE WEEKS AFTER WE FILMED THIS, THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT SIGNED A PEACE DEAL WITH THE TALIBAN –
ALLOWING THE IMPOSITION OF THEIR BRUTAL BRAND OF SHARIAH LAW UPON A MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE VALLEY. THE GOVERNMENT CLAIMED “IT WAS THE DEMAND OF THE PEOPLE.”
WHAT’S SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THIS DEAL IS THAT SWAT LIES OUTSIDE THE TRIBAL AREA – TALIBAN INFLUENCE IS GROWING, AND THE MILITANTS NOW HAVE A NEW SAFE HAVEN.
IN THEIR STRONGHOLDS NEAR THE AFGHAN BORDER, THE TALIBAN HAVE BEEN RUNNING THEIR OWN SCHOOLS FOR YEARS.
THEY TARGET POOR FAMILIES AND CONVINCE THE PARENTS TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN - IN RETURN, THEY PROVIDE FREE FOOD AND SHELTER AND SOMETIMES PAY THE FAMILIES A MONTHLY STIPEND…
THIS IS A PROPAGANDA VIDEO MADE BY THE TALIBAN.
YOUNG BOYS ARE TAUGHT JUSTIFICATIONS FOR SUICIDE ATTACKS, AND THE EXECUTION OF SPIES.
I MAKE CONTACT WITH A TEENAGER FROM SWAT WHO SAYS SCHOOLS LIKE THIS ARE NOW OPENING IN HIS AREA.
DEALING WITH THE TALIBAN IS DANGEROUS. BUT I’VE BEEN ASSURED THE BOY WILL COME ALONE AND UNARMED.
HAZRAT ALI IS FROM A POOR FARMING FAMILY IN SWAT. HE JOINED THE TALIBAN A YEAR AGO, WHEN HE WAS 13.
Sharmeen: How do the Taliban in your area get people to join them?
Hazrat Ali: They first call us to the mosque, and preach to us. Then they take us to a madrassa…and they teach us things from the Koran.
HE TELLS ME THE CHILDREN ARE THEN GIVEN MONTHS OF MILITARY TRAINING.
Hazrat Ali: They teach us to use machine gun, Kalashnikov… rocket launchers, grenades, bombs They ask us to use them only against the infidels…Then they teach us how to do a suicide attack.
Sharmeen: Would you like to carry out a suicide attack?
Hazrat Ali: If God gives me the strength
Sharmeen: Do you think there are enough youngsters like you…for the Taliban to win?
Hazrat Ali: God willing. There are now thousands of us. The Taliban now have the power to defeat the army.
DESPITE THE PEACE DEAL IN SWAT, ELSEWHERE IN PAKISTAN THE ARMY IS STILL FIGHTING THE TALIBAN.
THESE ARE THE WILD AND LAWLESS TRIBAL AREAS, RIGHT ON THE AFGHAN BORDER.
MILITANTS MOVE FREELY FROM HERE TO AFGHANISTAN TO ATTACK US AND NATO FORCES. OSAMA BIN LADEN IS THOUGHT TO BE HIDING OUT IN THESE MOUNTAINS.
UNDER US PRESSURE, THE PAKISTANI ARMY IS NOW TRYING TO DEFEAT THE TALIBAN IN THIS NORTHERN CORNER OF THE TRIBAL BELT.
BUT EVEN AFTER A FOUR-MONTH BATTLE, IT’S NOT COMPLETELY SECURE.
Sharmeen: We’re driving very fast to avoid ambush. I’ve been told that the militants hide up in the passes and take aim at the convoys as they pass through.
THIS IS BAJAUR.
WE’RE JUST TEN MILES FROM THE AFGHAN BORDER. AFTER 2001, HUNDREDS OF TALIBAN AND AL QAEDA ARRIVED HERE AFTER BEING DRIVEN FROM AFGHANISTAN. THEY SOON TOOK CONTROL.
Sharmeen: This is one of the major towns in Bajaur, as I look around I see complete and utter destruction. All the buildings have been flattened. There are no civilians here at all…
THE TOWN OF LOI SAM WAS ONCE THE TRADING CENTER OF THE BAJAUR VALLEY WITH A POPULATION OF 7000 PEOPLE.
THE ARMY SAY THE ONLY WAY TO FREE THE TOWN FROM THE MILITANTS WAS TO DESTROY IT.
THEY CLAIM TO HAVE KILLED MORE THAN FIFTEEN HUNDRED TALIBAN.
Sharmeen: I’ve just been told that this is the area where the fiercest fighting took place, that the army received heavy fire from all the houses here, here especially from the madrassa that’s on that side, and that’s why they demolished this entire town they said.
One effect of this hardline approach is to create hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Civilians are not only fleeing the Taliban but also the Pakistan army.
Most of the displaced have ended up in makeshift camps on the edge of the tribal areas – like this one in Peshawar.
This is the largest internal displacement Pakistan has ever seen. Almost a million people have been forced to leave their homes.
Every day new families arrive and the camp continues to grow.
Sharmeen:One of the first things that hits you as you walk in this camp is the sheer number of children running around barefoot and playing out in the dirt…
There are 30,000 displaced people in this camp alone. More than half are children.
Wasifullah and Abdurrahman are best friends.
They fled their village when the Pakistani army started bombing it.
Their district was also the target of American missile strikes.
One of these strikes hit a local madrassa. Wasifullah remembers the moment he arrived at the scene – and found his twelve year old cousin dead.
Wasifullah: My cousin was one of the students killed in the madrassa. His body was being eaten by dogs. We brought his remains home in bags. We could only find his legs so we buried them in our village.
This is footage of Wasifullah and Abdur Rehmans village the morning after the bombing.
More than eighty people were killed. Locals say that many of them were children.
There have been more than 30 U.S. missile strikes in the tribal areas in the last year.
They target Taliban and al Qaeda leaders – but civilians are often killed as well.
The militants are quick to make use of the destruction.
A US airstrike becomes a recruitment rally for the Taliban.
Taliban Leader: Oh God protect Osama! Oh God protect Mullah Omar! Are there any men equal to them in the world?
Wasifullah was in the crowd that day. The strike has left a lasting impact on him.
Sharmeen: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Wasifullah: God willing, I will join the Taliban.
But his best friend Abdurrahman blames al Qaeda for the destruction of their village.
Sharmeen: What do you want to be when you grow up?
ABDURRAHMANI want to be a captain.
SHARMEEN: In the Pakistan army?
ABDURRAHMAN: Yes. I want to be in the Pakistan Army and kill all the terrorists in Pakistan.
The army’s campaign and the American missile strikes are helping push Pakistan towards civil war.
One of these boys will join the Army. The other will join the Taliban.
SHARMEEN: Your friend Wasifullah wants to join the Taliban
If you meet him when you are in the army…will you kill him?
ABDURRAHMAN: Yes. If he’s attacking the army, I will retaliate fiercely.
SHARMEEN: If you have to kill Abdurrahman, will you do it?
WASIFULLAH: Definitely. If he does wrong, I will fight him.
In spite of the million displaced civilians, the Pakistani army believes its strategy to push the Taliban back is working.
They’ve been reluctant to admit that Taliban influence is growing in other areas.
Major General Tariq Khan is commanding the campaign against the Taliban in the tribal region.
I ask him if the military operations have been effective.
GENERAL TARIQ: They’ve been very successful, very intense, very high casualty rates, but we have succeeded in what we wanted to do. The human cost is undeniably a very very grievous kind of a thing, it’s not something one would accept, it’s not an acceptable issue, but why its worth it is… It’s better to die than to live under an environment where the Taliban are taking away your children.
SHARMEEN: But I’ve spoken to a number of young boys who have come down from Bajaur to Peshawar, and they are very angry, their homes have been destroyed, they’ve lost family members, and many of them would like to join the Taliban.
MAJ GEN TARIQ KHAN: Yeah they probably were the Taliban. And they ran away and are sitting out here hiding in the refugee camps because you can’t tell who is where, and you can’t say. But those people who complain about it are probably part of the problem and are not part of the solution.
SHARMEEN: Do you think you can win this war?
MAJ GEN TARIQ KHAN: I have no doubt in my mind. I think its not that difficult as what the people think. I think we’ll win it. Hands down.
The campaign against the Taliban has taken its toll on the army.
In the last five years, thousands of Pakistani soldiers have been wounded. And more than fifteen hundred have been killed.
Most of these soldiers come from the same villages and even families as the Taliban. This is a difficult war for them to fight.
Atif was shot in the stomach in an ambush but managed to drag himself to safety.
GUNNER ATIF: I saved myself somehow, with great difficulty. Many of our brother are dying in this way. They can never tell what’s going to happen…they can be attacked at any time, but we’re still determined.
Sher Murad was wounded in a roadside bomb. He’s lost one of his eyes.
SHARMEEN: Why do the Taliban hate the Pakistani Army so much?
SHER MURAD: The American policies we adopted. That’s why the Taliban are angry at the army.That’s why we’re suffering.
SHARMEEN: Do you think you can win this war?
SHER MURAD: If we keep fighting like this, it will be very hard.
The army may be winning some battles, but its own soldiers fear they are losing the war.
The Taliban, meanwhile, are growing bolder by the day. Their leadership in Pakistan are so confident they are openly inviting journalists to the heart of the tribal areas for a show of strength.
But women are not welcome. We’re warned that that if I go, I’ll be killed.
A local cameraman sets out to film for us.
He makes his way to a village 6 hours from Peshawar, in the tribal area of Orakzai.
This is the first time the new deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud has been filmed.
He arrives in an American humvee his men have just captured in an attack on a NATO convoy headed for Afghanistan.
They’ve closed down a school and turned it into an operations base.
There’s a sudden otion. One of the Taliban thinks he’s spotted a US aircraft
There’s no missile strike – for now.
Hakimullah claims that the American attacks are increasingthe Taliban’s resolve to fight.
HAKIMULLAH: If America continues bombing the tribal areas… and martyrs innocent people…then we are compelled to attack them.
He then sends a warning: the Taliban are planning to topple the Pakistani state.
HAKIMULLAH: If the Pakistani leaders and army maintain their stance… then we will take control of Peshawar and other cities.
This is no empty threat.
The Taliban offensive in the cities has already begun.
Last year they struck right across Pakistan, killing more than 800 people in suicide attacks.
The war has now arrived in the capital, Islamabad, and Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi….
This is the city I grew up in.
In the last year, the slums of Karachi have become a new safe haven for the Taliban, who use the criminal networks here to raise funds for their war.
It’s also become a recruiting ground for the next generation of Taliban fighters.
SHARMEEN: This is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city of Karachi . The police say this area is heavily Talibanised…
Most of the children in this part of the city study at small religious schools, or ‘madrassas’.
Every day after their lessons, the students play cricket.
I meet a fourteen year old called Shaheed. His name means ‘martyr’.
SHARMEEN: What do they teach you at your madrassa?
SHAHEED: They teach us how to recite the Koran, memorise it.
SHARMEEN: Have you memorised the Koran?
SHAHEED: Yes I have.
This is Shaheed’s madrassa.
There are two hundred pupils here. All are from poor families.
Here they get free food and lodging.
The state education system in Pakistan has virtually collapsed – so now more than one and a half million children study at schools like this.
They’re not allowed to read anything but the Koran, which is written in Arabic – a language they don’t understand.
They’re not taught maths or science.
But Shaheed tells me they are taught about the place of women in Islam.
SHAHEED: Women are meant for domestic care and that’s what they should do. Sharia law says it, so why are women wandering around? The government should forbid women and girls from wandering around outside. Just like the government banned plastic bags – no-one uses them any more. We should do the same with women.
Shaheed thinks the only people who keep women in their ‘proper’ place are the Taliban.
SHARMEEN: After you graduate from here, will you go to the Taliban?
SHAHEED: Yes, I will go them and I intend to support them in their war. not in Pakistan though but in a war outside of Pakistan.
Shaheed’s teacher defends the madrassa’s teachings.
MUFTI: Madrassas are playing a very positive role. They don’t provide any space for terrorism and misunderstanding. The madrassas have always promoted peace, love and harmony.
But once our camera moves further away, he tells another story.
SHARMEEN: Who do you think will win this war?
MUFTI: It’s in our blood… no matter how many Muslims die, we will never run out of sacrificial lambs. Non-Muslims only think about this world…but Muslims consider this an opportunity to achieve martyrdom. Someone who sees death as a blessing…who can defeat him?
Shaheed has absorbed his teacher’s ideology.
SHARMEEN: Would you want to carry out a suicide attack?
SHAHEED: I would love to. But only if I get permission from my father. When I look at suicide bombers younger than me, or my age…I get so inspired by their terrific attacks.
Taliban propaganda videos glorifying child suicide bombers are easy to get hold of in Karachi.
SONG
If you try to find me
After I have died
You will never find my whole body
You will find me in little pieces
This boy is called Zainullah. He blew himself up killing six.
This boy is called Sadique. He killed 22.
This boy is called Masood. He killed 28.
I leave Karachi, and try to make contact with the Taliban leadership in the tribal areas. I want to meet the men who recruit madrassa children for suicide operations.
After lengthy negotiations, I’m told I can meet a COMMander who’s personally responsible for child recruitment.
Qari Abdullah makes no attempt to hide his face.
He starts by telling me why the Taliban now have Pakistan in their sights.
QARI ABDULLAH: We never used to fight against Pakistan. Because we thought the army were Muslims. But when they started bombing us we had to do jihad against them.
Qari Abdullah says he was just a child when he started his fighting career. He was educated in a madrassa and then sent to Afghanistan to fight. He rocks back and forth as madrassa students are taught to do when reciting the Koran. It’s as if he’s in a trance.
QARI ABDULLAH
How do the Taliban invite or convince small children to join them?
The kids want to join us because they like our weapons.
They don’t use weapons to begin with. They just carry them for us.
And off we go.
They follow us because they’re just small kids.
SHARMEEN: Don’t you think it’s wrong to use kids to attack?
QARI ABDULLAH: If you’re fighting, then God provides you with the means. Children are tools to achieve God’s will. And whatever comes your way, you sacrifice it. So it’s fine.
SHARMEEN: Have you seen this kind of training?
QARI ABDULLAH: These are all children. They’re small young kids.These in the picture are quite grown up. My ones are younger. Ours are 5, 6 and 7 years old.
There are eighty million children in Pakistan.
More than a quarter of them live below the poverty line.
If the militants continue to expand their war, and recruit children freely, then Pakistan may soon belong to them.
Bumper 1
SOT: Netiquette song
ANNOUNCER: Finally, in South Korea… a new generation of digital natives is being raised for life online…
SOT: continuation of Netiquette song
KOREA: the most wired Place on earth
reported by douglass rushkoff
JIN YOUNG-SOO IS ON HIS WAY TO THE ARENA FOR A LONG AWAITED REMATCH
WOMAN: Good luck.
JIN YOUNG-SOO: I’ve been practicing a lot and I feel pretty confident today. I think I’ll win this game.
HE'S A STAR HERE IN KOREA - A CORPORATE-SPONSORED CELEBRITY ATHLETE.
AND HIS SPORT, STARCRAFT, IS A NATIONAL OBSESSION.
SOT: 1-2-3, Jin Young-soo, let’s go!
STARCRAFT IS A VIDEO GAME. AND YOUNG-SOO’S SPECIAL TALENT? DEFENDING A SPACE COLONY FROM PSYCHIC ALIEN INVADERS IN A DISTANT SECTOR OF THE GALAXY. TWO NATIONAL CABLE CHANNELS BROADCAST THESE TOURNAMENTS LIVE, IN PRIME TIME.
ANNOUNCER: They've been preparing for a year.
TODAY'S MATCH IS FIERCE.
ANNOUNCER: Young-Soo could actually win today. He did a good job with the defense.
A countless number are attacking!
FINALLY, YOUNG-SOO'S RIVAL MAKES HIS ASSAULT.
ANNOUNCER: He's running out of time. Jin Young-soo's in trouble! He's getting creamed!
THE INVADERS ARE UPON HIM.
ANNOUNCER: K.O! K.O!
IT'S A CRUSHING DEFEAT FOR YOUNG-SOO
BUT AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT FOR ME.
AS A CHRONICLER OF THE DIGITAL WORLD FOR OVER A DECADE, I'D HEARD MANY STORIES ABOUT SOUTH KOREA - THE COUNTRY EVERYONE CALLS THE MOST WIRED PLACE ON EARTH.
NOW, I'VE TRAVELED HERE TO SEE FOR MYSELF HOW KOREA'S DIGITAL REVOLUTION IS CHANGING THIS PLACE AND ITS PEOPLE...
I'D HEARD FOR YEARS ABOUT KOREA'S INTERNET CAFÉ'S ALSO KNOWN AS PC BANGS, WHERE AMATEUR GAMERS TEST THEIR METTLE. IT WASN'T HARD TO FIND ONE - THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF THEM, SEEMINGLY ON EVERY CORNER.
A WHOLE GENERATION OF KIDS SEEMED TO BE DOWN IN THIS SMOKY BASEMENT - GLUED TO STARCRAFT AND OTHER GAMES... IT WAS LATE BUT NO ONE SEEMED READY TO LEAVE...
DOUG: Do you ever stay over night, all night??
PC BANG BOYS: Occasionally. Sometimes. We like this better than studying.
BUT WHAT THESE KIDS CONSIDER SIMPLE FUN HAS STIRRED CONTROVERSY.
IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, A FEW PEOPLE DIED IN PC BANGS AFTER MARATHON GAMING SESSIONS, AND NOW EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT WHETHER KOREAN YOUTH SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ONLINE.
DOUG: We read the newspaper about Korea. They say, 'Gaming is a problem now.' That people are addicted to the games, addicted to the internet. And they're not getting their studies done. Do you feel.... is there a problem for you?
PC BANG BOYS: We don't play like we're addicted. just once in a while for fun. But there are many who are addicted. But they don't play at PC bangs. They play at home. Yes, addicts play at home.
DR. AHN DONG-HYUN: There’s an argument about whether it’s a real disease or just a phenomenon, but we think that it’s definitely an addiction.
THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONED THIS PSYCHIATRIST, DR AHN DONG-HYUN, TO CONDUCT A THREE YEAR STUDY ON THE GROWING QUESTION OF INTERNET ADDICTION. HIS FINDINGS HELPED KOREA BECOME ONE OF THE ONLY COUNTRIES TO TREAT IT AS A PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER.
DR. AHN DONG-HYUN: About ninety percent of Korean children use the internet in their daily life. Of those, about 10-15% are in the high risk group. So, about 800,000 or more are at risk.
FIFTEEN YEAR OLD CHUNG YOUNG-IL IS AMONG THE FIRST GROUP OF KIDS IN KOREA TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH AN ADDICTION TO THE INTERNET.
CHUNG YOUNG-IL (Internet Rescue School participant): Its pretty extreme. (I’d say) I play 7 or 8 hours a day during the week. Then on weekends I stay up all night on the computer.
YOUNG IL LIVES WITH HIS MOTHER IN A CRAMPED APARTMENT OUTSIDE OF SEOUL. HIS PARENTS DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS 5.
MRS. SHIM SONG-JA (Young-il's mother): What are you doing?
CHUNG YOUNG-IL: Computer games.
OVER THE LAST SEMESTER, YOUNG-IL’S RANK IN SCHOOL HAS DROPPED FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM THIRD IN HIS CLASS, AND HE'S BEGUN TO HEAR RINGING IN HIS EARS.
HIS MOTHER THINKS THE COMPUTER'S DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
MRS. SHIM SONG-JA: When Young-il starts a game he doesn't know when to stop and he just plays for hours. I’m not sure, but I think he mostly uses the computer to play some type of fighting game. I wish those games didn't exist. That inability to communicate with his own mother makes me so sad. I wish I could learn to play the games myself so I could spend more time with Young-Il, but I can't understand them.
Mrs. Shim Song-ja: You have to help mom, ok?
CONCERNED ABOUT YOUNG-IL'S ONLINE OBSESSION, LAST YEAR MRS. SHIM SENT HIM TO A PSYCHIATRIST.
MRS. SHIM SONG-JA: You are going to help, right?
BUT NOTHING REALLY CHANGED
CHUNG YOUNG-IL: Thanks for the food.
CHUNG YOUNG-IL: She always says not to play so much. When my mom says that stuff, I get annoyed. I just don't like to be bothered. Sometimes I wish I could stop or play a little less. But on the other hand, I just want to play more. It's very complicated.
BOTH OF YOUNG-IL'S OLDER SIBLINGS HAVE LEFT HOME...AND HIS MOTHER IS OFTEN CALLED AWAY FOR WORK AT ODD HOURS.
MRS. SHIM SONG-JA: There's no one home when Young-il gets back after school. So the only thing there is to do is play computer games. I'm thinking if I can't control him right now, I may lose my son. (I would say) this is an addiction. Only an addict would act this way.
SOT: Welcome to the third session of Internet Rescue School. This is a two-week treatment camp.
IN RESPONSE TO THE RISING NUMBER OF KIDS LIKE YOUNG-IL, THE GOVERNMENT IS FUNDING FREE INTERNET ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY, LIKE THIS ONE.
SOT: We will be taking the cell phones away from the students.
ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF A TEACHER, YOUNG-IL'S MOTHER WILL BE LEAVING HIM HERE FOR TWO WEEKS.
GROUP LEADER: The reason you all are here... It's because you want to decrease the time you spend on the internet.
THE DAY STARTS WITH A GROUP COUNSELING SESSION
GROUP LEADER: Because of the internet, my health has gotten worse and there is no longer structure to my life. Who has checked that box? Everyone has checked that box? You did, too?
MOST OF THE KIDS HERE SAY THEY'VE HAD TO SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT RESULT FROM OVERUSE OF THE COMPUTER.
GROUP LEADER: Because of your eyes?
LIKE EYE STRAIN AND EAR COMPLICATIONS.
GROUP LEADER: Your ears?
CHUNG YOUNG-IL: I feel awkward.
THE CAMP CONFISCATES CELL PHONES AND LAPTOPS, AND MONITORS THE KIDS' EVERY MOVE.
COUNSELOR: You can do it!
I WAS IMPRESSED THAT DIGITAL DETOX WAS DECIDEDLY LOW-TECH. THE KIDS' TREATMENT SEEMED DESIGNED MAINLY TO RECAPTURE A CHILDHOOD LOST TO THE COMPUTER.
JANG HYE-AH: Over half the kids here are from broken families. So they haven’t gotten a lot of support at home.
JANG HYE-AH: If you have a question you can ask your mentor.
JANG HYE-AH: There are a lot of kids with feelings of loneliness and depression.
JANG HYE-AH: Who wants to go first? Young-Il?
CHUNG YOUNG-IL: I used to get nervous and shaky whenever I couldn’t go on the computer but I think that has gotten better at this camp.
BUT IT MAY BE TOUGH FOR YOUNG IL AND THE OTHER CAMPERS TO STAY UNPLUGGED ONCE THEY LEAVE HERE.
TEN YEARS AGO, WHEN THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED ITS HIGH TECH REVOLUTION, IT WAS EASY TO WIRE UP THIS DENSE, URBAN NATION SO THAT BROADBAND REACHED NEARLY EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE.
BUT IT'S PROVING TO BE MORE DIFFICULT TO UNDO THE PROBLEMS THAT WIRING KOREA CREATED.
YOUNG PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR HAVE ATTACHED THEMSELVES TO TECHNOLOGY WITH ABANDON. FOR MANY OF THEM, SCHOOL IS A PRESSURE COOKER, LASTING LATE INTO THE EVENING. THE ONLINE WORLD IS THEIR ONLY ESCAPE.
TOWARDS THE END OF THE TWO-WEEK CAMP, I ASKED YOUNG-IL IF HE WAS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HIS FUTURE.
DOUG: When you go home, will you start using the computer again, or will it be different?
CHUNG YOUNG-IL: I don't expect a lot. Not using the computer for 10 days was hard. I just kept thinking about the games or about getting out of the camp and going home.
BEFORE LEAVING KOREA, I VISITED THIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN SEOUL.
TEACHER: One more time, click.
IT'S IN CLASSROOMS LIKE THIS THAT KOREA IS TRYING TO START FRESH WITH A NEW GENERATION.
SOT: While chatting, first greet happily. During the game always be open, honest and do the right thing.
AS I WATCHED, I WONDERED WHAT WE HAVE LEFT TO OFFER THESE KIDS, FROM A WORLD THEY'VE CLEARLY LEFT BEHIND.
SOT: Be careful on the keyboard... I know who did it (be careful) I know I will be the Internet guardian angel. I will be the first to protect
DOUG: As you watch these children do you look at them as different from children of the past?
BAE MAL-LYEON: They're quick to adapt to change, but they lack stability.
BUT THE PRINCIPAL OF THIS SCHOOL TELLS ME WHAT I ALREADY SENSE. WE MUST SURRENDER THE FUTURE TO THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE BUILDING IT.
BAE MAL-LYEON: Sometimes I feel like I'm living too far into the past. The kids now are moving too far ahead of us.
SOT: Though faces are unknown, it's a warm neigborhood. Precious internet friend. Netiquette!
There's more of the World to explore on our web site:
SEE MORE OF OUR IN-DEPTH REPORTING FROM PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN.
JOIN DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF AS HE LAUNCHES A NEW WEB SITE TO EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION.
Rushkoff: What do we actually know about what it really means when you spend 50 hours online versus if you spend five…
And…
OUR INVESTIGATION INTO INTERNATIONAL BRIBERY CONTINUES TO UNFOLD.
Lowell: When did you get a whiff that there might be something wrong…?//
Laurin: There is something wrong in every major jet fighter deal//
SEE VIDEOS AND WEB-EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS.
Laurin: “We had the source telling us how the way the bribery was done.”
DISCUSS THE WORLD AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK AT PBS.ORG.
