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A student protection organization is seeking to introduce a law to force the closure of establishments illegally catering to minors or hiring them as employees.

"We have until now disciplined these places by ordering temporary closure or having them change the category of their business. But we feel that a stronger measure may be necessary to stop them from exploiting young people," said Ko Sung-hye, an official at the Korea Citizens' Foundation on Initiatives for Safe Schools.

Ko said it would be ideal to introduce the bill around June, before schools begin their summer vacation, but added that the proposal would have to be put to public hearings before the organization applies for legislation.

Beginning in March, meanwhile, the foundation will launch a celebrities' lecture series for high school students in Seoul.

Participating in the campaign, designed to encourage young people to pursue a sound lifestyle, will be prominent public figures, heads of venture firms and entertainers like singers Yoo Seung-jun and Kim Gun-mo.

As part of its efforts to provide a better environment for youths, the foundation said it would form an alliance with other civic groups to rate ward offices, police stations and schools on their efforts to monitor and protect young people. The results would be made public.

The foundation further intends to create a CD-rom map giving the locations of places deemed harmful to young people and distribute copies to various organizations.

The foundation also plans to mobilize a group of monitors made up of student advisers, anti-crime officials and parent volunteers, to begin monitoring in areas with a heavy concentration of such establishments. Names of establishments that violate the law would be announced to the public.

Within the year, the foundation will open a home page where teenagers can receive on-line counseling.