Kangwon Land is pioneering a new approach to gambling addiction treatment in South Korea, integrating meditation as a key tool for long-term recovery. (Image courtesy of Kangwon Land)
JEONGSEON, South Korea, March 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Kangwon Land’s Mind Fulfillment Center (KLACC: KangwonLand Attentive Mind Care Center) has become the first operator in South Korea’s gambling industry to publish research on the effectiveness of its gambling addiction treatment program in a peer-reviewed academic journal.
According to Kangwon Land, findings from its intensive meditation camp for gambling recovery were recently published in Volume 15 of the Korean Journal of Meditation Studies. The research, conducted in collaboration with Professor Eunmi Kim of the KAIST Meditation Science Research Institute, examined the impact of the Family Healing Meditation Camp on individuals recovering from gambling addiction.
This marks the first case of a South Korean gambling industry operator partnering with a specialized meditation research institution to implement and assess the effectiveness of a therapeutic program.
Participants, who had abstained from gambling for anywhere between one to over ten years, engaged in a two-day retreat featuring body scanning, breathing meditation, mindful eating, walking meditation, and compassion meditation.
The study found that meditation played a crucial role in the emotional stability and self-control of individuals recovering from gambling addiction. Notably, the program went beyond conventional pathological treatment approaches, which often focus solely on short-term symptom relief, by empowering participants as active agents in their own recovery—a shift toward a more sustainable healing paradigm.
To further validate the program’s effectiveness, KLACC will continue post-program research, tracking participants’ use of meditation in daily life and their ability to maintain gambling abstinence.
Starting this year, KLACC is also expanding its research through a collaboration with the Forest Healing Foundation, a specialized institution in forest therapy services.
“We will continue to develop effective programs for addiction prevention and recovery, setting ourselves apart from other organizations by offering specialized and impactful solutions,” said Kim Dae-jung, director of KLACC.
With this initiative, Kangwon Land is pioneering a new approach to gambling addiction treatment in South Korea, integrating meditation as a key tool for long-term recovery.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
