By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
Free public wireless Internet access is increasingly becoming a popular campaign promise among those vying for support from young voters in the June 2 local elections.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is seeking reelection, pledged Thursday that he would set up an additional 25 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Seoul and gradually expand free Internet access to subway stations.
Wi-Fi stands for wireless fidelity and is used to define standards for wireless LANs.
Included in the list of free Wi-Fi zones are Shinchon, Daehangno and Apgujeong-dong in Seoul, which are considered the most popular districts among the younger generation.
Currently, only four districts have been designated as free public wireless Internet zones, including Insa-dong and Cheongye Stream.
Reps. Na Kyung-won and Kim Choong-whan, two other Seoul mayoral hopefuls from the governing Grand National Party, have also promised to increase the number of Wi-Fi zones to meet the growing demand for wireless Internet.
The two aspirants promised to set up Wi-Fi zones in public buildings, such as City Hall, town offices, schools and tourist destinations.
Na also plans to establish free wireless Internet zones in public libraries, museums, parks, hospitals and subway stations.
The minor opposition New Progress Party has also made free wireless Internet a main campaign item, saying it will allow citizens to use it, not only in public, but also residential areas.
Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as personal computers, video game consoles, smartphones and MP3 players, will be able to connect to the Internet free of charge when within range of a public wireless network.
However, some industry experts are concerned on politicizing Wi-Fi, saying free wireless Internet among consumers comes at the expense of taxpayers' money.
``No city in the world has succeeded in a city-wide free wireless Internet project,'' Choi Doo-hwan, a senior engineer at KT, the country's second-largest mobile carrier, said.
``Behind the 'why pay' campaign lies the inefficiency of the government and public institutions' setting up, maintaining and repairing the Internet network with taxpayers' money,'' Choi said.
The upcoming elections will pick 16 mayors and provincial governors, 228 administrative chiefs and 761 local council members nationwide.
1 | 30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data |
