“In South Korea, which counts over 8.4 million fourth-generation long-term evolution (LTE) network users and recently became the first country to pass 100 percent wireless penetration, free Wi-Fi services are now being offered at over 1,000 public areas across the country.”

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced the completion of a joint project with telecommunications service providers KT, SK Telecom, and LG U+ on July 11 to offer free public Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Fi networks were developed together by the KCC and the participating companies in an effort to prevent overlap of wireless networks and allow convenient Internet access regardless of telecommunications service provider.

The public areas offering the new services include public service centers such as bus terminals, train stations, and airports, as well as regional cultural centers, libraries, athletics facilities, national public hospitals, welfare centers, and select tourist spots.

Visitors will find a Public Wi-Fi logo at areas that offer the service. Using the network is as easy as selecting the network entitled “Public WiFi Free” and logging in with your user information at the shared login page.

Network users will be asked to login again after an hour of use in order to allow more people to use the services. A full directory of the locations of public Wi-Fi spots can be found at the websites of the KCC and the National Information Society Agency.

“The development of a public Wi-Fi network is an important milestone in our progress towards providing users with an ideal environment for convenient wireless accessibility,” said a KCC representative. “We will continue to collaborate with telecommunications service providers to further expand services.”

By Kwon Jungyun
Korea.net Staff Writer

Quelle: -Korea.net-
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Sci-Tech/view?articleId=101482

Das Namdaemun Gate vor dem Brandanschlag

2008 Namdaemun Feuer

Courtesy

Inside a shelter, Namdaemun’s pagoda is taking shape.

The restoration of National Treasure No. 1, the Namdaemun Gate in central Seoul, is nearing an end.

Friday marked the fourth anniversary of a fire that destroyed the gate, also known as Sungnyemun, that centuries marked the southern entrance and boundary of the walled city of Seoul.

A elderly man with a history of mental illness was convicted of arson in the blaze. Since then, the South Korean government has spent more than $20 million to rebuild the gate.

In a ceremony to mark the return of the gate’s main signboard on Friday, government officials said they are on target to finish the painstaking restoration and reconstruction of Namdaemun by the end of the year.

The gate, built in 1398, had been damaged and restored before. And the wall it once anchored, along with gates like Dongdaemun and Seodaemun, has long since disappeared, though the city has created guidebooks so that adventurous hikers can spend a day walking retracing its perimeter.

But the 2008 fire also dealt a psychic blow to South Korea, with some people and media calling it a smaller-but-still-important version of the shock felt by the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks.

Government officials say the rebuilt gate will have detection systems for fire, heat and other foul play. Security will also be tighter.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, which is in charge of restoration, the portion of reconstructed wall at the gate will be finished at the end of June. By the end of October, the wooden pagoda atop the gate will be done.

And at the end of the year, the metal structure covering the gate and other construction materials will be gone.

From the fire on Feb. 10, 2008, it will have taken approximately four years and 11 months to rebuild Namdaemun.