July 7th, 2006
South Korea our soldiers are there to protect you - so stop screwing with their VoIP
According to the Stars And Stripes newspaper, the South Korean Ministry of Information and Communications is arguing with several non-Korean VoIP services, trying to shut them down in that nation because they haven’t complied with that nation’s Telecommunications Business Act by registering as a phone service and applying for the correct permits.
The real issue could be that South Korean VoIP providers such as Dacom, Korean Telecom and Hanaro charge 13 cents a minute for VoIP calls, while American VoIP companies have plans that start for as little as $14.99 a month. These calling plans are popular with soldiers- most of whom are not what you would call highly paid. Unlike the execs of those companies, who wouldn’t have those companies, their jobs or their freedom without our soldiers there to back up your own armed forces.
Last week, U.S. soldiers who are VoIP subscribers started receiving notices at their bases that they would be prohibited from using outside VoIP services. Cut off action is on temporary hold as a result of a request by the U.S. Forces Korea command.
This really, really, ticks me off.
Now listen to me, South Korea. Our troops are there protecting you from that maniac dictator to the north- Kim Jung-Il of North Korea (pictured above) In all likelihood, he has nuclear weapons. And guess what. While you, South Korea, have been placing the economic prosperity of your fabulously wealthy telcos as a higher priority than the morale of our soliders who are there to help protect youfrom this man, he has been testing delivery systems for these bombs during the same week you are trying to make it more economically cumbersome for our soldiers to contact their loved ones.
Meanwhile, our soliders are there, protecting you from that maniac to your north. They ask for little.
If our troops you are trying to screw over weren’t there, well, there wouldn’t be a Dacom, Korea Telecom or Hanaro. For you would be living under the world’s most repressive state-run economy.
One more thing. If our troops you are trying to screw over weren’t there, not only wouldn’t there be a Dacom, Korea Telecom or Hanaro.
There probably wouldn’t be a South Korea.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
