最近，韓國出現了一支“主婦狗仔隊”，她們跟拍的對象不是富豪名流，而是各行各業的違法者；而她們跟拍的目的則是將違法證據舉報到相關部門獲取現金獎勵。據悉，這些主婦通常會扮成普通顧客的樣子，前往可能有問題的場所調查，悄悄拍攝有關畫面或錄音，然后將罪證提交給有關部門，每月從政府處領取的獎金可高達1700美元（約合人民幣10862元）。由于政府不斷調高舉報獎金的額度，韓國甚至還出現了教人秘密收集證據的培訓學校。這些培訓學校會教學員追蹤目標、誘導拍攝及如何扮無辜以打消別人的疑慮。不過，批評人士卻把他們稱為“無情的掠奪者”，并稱在這個經濟困難的年代，他們將許多小本經營的“夫妻店”逼到了破產的境地。同時也有人表示擔憂，稱政府發放的獎金變成了這些人的“搖錢樹”，這樣的做法并不能鼓勵健康的國民精神和真正意義上的公正。

In a picture taken on September 19, 2011 a women holds a button type spy camera at Mismiz, a paparazzi school, in Seoul. (AFP)

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.

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(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

bounty hunter: a hunter who captures fugitives for a monetary reward, 賞金獵手

scofflaw: one who habitually violates the law, 違法者

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen ）