Korean analog broadcasting to end this year, switch to digital

Published on 2012/04/03 | Source

Many Koreans are now turning to online shoppping for their household groceries. Three of the largest supermarkets in Korea all reported up to double the number in online sales from last year.

The growing trend toward online grocery shopping has sparked giant super market chains or hypermarkets to focus on working professionals and customers on the go, with same-day home deliveries.

Experts predict more people in their 30's and 40's will take advantage of the convenience and competitive prices of buying their groceries from computers and even their smartphones.

The Korea Communications Commission is still on track to officially end analog television broadcasting by the end of the this year and completely convert to high-definition broadcasting.
However, this leaves more than 5 million analog TVs that will not be able to receive any signal in 2013.

The national regulator for broadcasting and telecommunications said that they would sell digital converters at around 10,000 won or around 9 dollars US, which would enable older television sets to receive the new digital signal.

The transition to an all digital broadcasting system will not only provide viewers with improved image and sound quality but free up valuable broadcast spectrum for emergency agencies such as police and firefighters, as well as advanced wireless services

Starting this week, taxis in Seoul will be equipped with an improved automatic payment system.
The built-in payment terminals inside each taxi will now be able to approve offline credit card and debit transactions when a wireless connection isn't available.
In addition, taxi fees that are less than 10,000 won will no longer require a signing up the receipt.

The move to the more versatile system comes in response to last year's November taxi card crisis where over 70,000 taxis in Seoul were suddenly unable to process card payments due to technical difficulties.
KB and Samsung card holders will be the first to take advantage of the new system, but expect all other card companies to follow suit in the next two months.

Paul Yi, Arirang News

APR 02, 2012
Reporter : arirangpaulyi@gmail.com