因举报有奖韩国现“主妇狗仔队”

最近，韩国出现了一支“主妇狗仔队”，她们跟拍的对象不是富豪名流，而是各行各业的违法者；而她们跟拍的目的则是将违法证据举报到相关部门获取现金奖励。据悉，这些主妇通常会扮成普通顾客的样子，前往可能有问题的场所调查，悄悄拍摄有关画面或录音，然后将罪证提交给有关部门，每月从政府处领取的奖金可高达1700美元（约合人民币10862元）。由于政府不断调高举报奖金的额度，韩国甚至还出现了教人秘密收集证据的培训学校。这些培训学校会教学员追踪目标、诱导拍摄及如何扮无辜以打消别人的疑虑。不过，批评人士却把他们称为“无情的掠夺者”，并称在这个经济困难的年代，他们将许多小本经营的“夫妻店”逼到了破产的境地。同时也有人表示担忧，称政府发放的奖金变成了这些人的“摇钱树”，这样的做法并不能鼓励健康的国民精神和真正意义上的公正。

At first glance, middle-aged Seoul housewife Jennifer Chung hardly looks like a bounty hunter tracking down lawbreakers.

But every morning, after sending her two sons and husband off to school and work, she sets out in search of local scofflaws -- such as cram school teachers, restaurateurs or beauty salon owners.

"Some of them charge parents more than state-set tuition limits, don't disclose on the menu the origin of food they serve, or give skincare treatments which only doctors are allowed to perform," Chung, 54, told AFP.

"These are all against the law...I need evidence to report them to the authorities," she said, sporting a high-definition camcorder hidden in her purse with the lens peeking through a tiny hole.

On a typical undercover mission, Chung poses as a regular customer, videotapes conversations or scenes at offending establishments and sends the videos to authorities.

Each time she collects cash rewards from various departments which add up to more than two million won ($1,700) a month.

Chung is far from alone.

Many South Koreans, especially middle-aged women, have joined a growing number of "paparazzi" snoopers. They cash in by videotaping minor lawbreaking by fellow citizens, instead of the lives of the rich and famous.

With the government continually expanding such rewards, schools for snoopers are thriving. They teach pupils how to stalk their prey and get them on film, and even how to play the innocent to dodge suspicion.

"This has become a pretty lucrative industry now...some people are doing this as a full-time job," Moon Seung-Ok, founder of Mismiz, a paparazzi school in Seoul, told AFP.

The number of students spikes during economic slowdowns when housewives seek ways to supplement family incomes, he said.

The most common targets in the education-obsessed nation are cram school owners who overcharge parents or run late-night classes, breaking state rules aimed at curbing spending on private education and pressure on kids.

"It's most popular because cram schools are everywhere, and housewives can easily act like ordinary parents asking for quotes for tuition," said Moon.

The education ministry said it had paid 3.4 billion won ($2.9 million) in rewards since the system was adopted in July 2009, with one person alone raking in nearly 300 million won by making more than 920 reports.

Critics say snoopers are squeezing mom-and-pop businesses trying to survive in tough times.

Cho Young-Hwan, spokesman for South Korea's cram school association, called them "merciless predators" who forced many small cram schools to shut down.

Many schools are pressured to run late-night classes because parents demand that their kids study until late despite the government ban, he said.

"These professional bounty hunters are turning a place of children's education into a playground for their profiteering," Cho told AFP.

Oh Chang-Soo, a law professor at Jeju National University, called the situation worrying.

He told AFP the rewards had become "a cash cow for bounty hunters" and did not encourage a healthy civic spirit or genuine sense of justice.

"These paparazzi...set up a trap and eagerly wait until someone violates a rule. A practice like this will only fan mistrust among members of society," Oh said.