By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
High-end technology has changed the ways of appealing to voters as well as the content speeches for president hopefuls. Current systems enable presidential candidates to appeal for votes across a wide area.
Major presidential runners are now using satellite broadcasting systems to deliver their speeches to the whole nation with trucks equipped with large screens. Through such systems, they can attract the attention of many wherever they are.
The Grand National Party, the largest opposition party, and the major United New Democratic Party have rented Satellite News Gathering (SNG) cars from KT, the largest fixed-line telephone operator.
When TV cameramen send video clips to SNG cars, satellite antennas on the cars shoot them to the Mugunghwa No. 3 satellite. The Mugunghwa then delivers the video clips to each truck and citizens can watch the speeches of the candidates on a TV screen.
The high technology system, however, is making candidates avoid speeches on specific regional policies and schemes as they might cause problems due to regional conflict.
The two major parties also rented more than 250 TV-screen trucks and set them up at 243 constituencies in 16 main cities and provinces. The rental cost for the equipment is estimated at more than 8 billion won.
``As the TV screens can reach a great number of people at the same time, it is very efficient even considering the high rental cost,'' a KT official said. However, the SNG cars are available only for a few hours and minor parties cannot benefit from such high technology systems, which require large amounts of money.
In addition, the candidates are utilizing their Internet Web sites to gauge citizens' reactions and feedback as well as mobile phones. Frontrunner, Lee Myung-bak makes himself available through mobile phones to listen to his party's members and voters. Chung Dong-young of the pro-government party also receives text messages, voice mails and UCC through mobile phones.