Korea is believed to be the first country in the world to conduct a program to help cure mobile phone addiction among the young.A civic group called School Beautiful Movement, together with the Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion and SK Telecom, has launched a campaign to teach the youth proper cell phone use. The group hope that the program will help prevent mobile phone abuse through research and education, and that students will willingly learn to properly manage their cell phone. Twelve elementary, middle and high schools were selected for the pilot program and for the next two months, students of these schools will speak about their phone use, discuss the symptoms they experience when they are without a mobile phone, and consider proper use of the phones as consumers. The schools will have cell phone lockers, where students voluntarily put their phones preventing their use during class time. Feeling nervous without a mobile phone and having it at all times, is typical of many young people in Korea, who could be said to be suffering from so-called mobile phone addiction.

Korea has one of the world's most advanced mobile phone systems and highest quality services. However, the wide use of the handsets has resulted in addiction, especially among teenagers, with cell phones dominating their daily lives.