The Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation plans to provide eBooks on the subway in the second half of this year. Seoul's subway stations on lines 5-8 are expected to provide these services. Inside the subway, they plan to put in these eBooks which are equipped with LCD monitors and can broadcast real-live TV. You could possibly watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup while riding the subway. Seoul's subway system will be the first in the world to provide this service and shows that they continue to strive to achieve the motto of "Smart Subway."
Oom Sung Jik, President of Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation was interviewed by the Electronics Times on February 7. During his interview, he stated, "Subway passengers will have the privilege of borrowing an eBook. We will equip 20,700 LCD monitors with diverse contents and make it available for the passengers. That is the current plan and we are currently trying to propel this project."
About 3.2 million people ride the subway lines 5-8 daily, but only 20,700 will be available. That means less than 1% of the passengers will be able to access this service. However, the current construction plan is to charge passengers a higher price during the busiest times of the day, including the morning rush hour and the evening rush hour. They are setting this time up as the "PrimeTime". Other parts of the day, they plan to set this service at a more inexpensive price.
