LA Times on Korea's vigilante paparazzi.

The LA Times has an article about Koreans who earn money by capturing law-breakers on film.

Amid the nation's worsening economic crisis, officials say there are fewer government investigators to maintain public order. So they increasingly rely on a bounty-hunter style of justice.

Many paparazzi are out-of-work salary men, bored homemakers and college students who consider themselves deputized agents of the South Korean government.

To meet a growing demand, scores of paparazzi schools have sprung up nationwide, charging students $250 for three-day courses on how to edit film, tail suspected wrongdoers and operate button-sized cameras.

Although accurate numbers are hard to come by, schools estimate that 500 professional paparazzi now work in South Korea, where most celebrities still walk the streets unhindered.

But not for long -- at least one paparazzi academy is offering a course in stalking well-known people.

Few officials question the ethics of arming a citizenry against itself with zoom video and long-range lenses.

"They don't violate any laws, so there's no reason to restrict them," said a National Tax Service official, who declined to give his name. "They don't infringe on others' private lives, do they?"