Seoul City Establishes Free Public Wi-Fi 'Kkachion' in Over 1,400 Indoor Public Facilities

Last year, 'Kkachion' Installed in 310 Indoor Facilities Including Welfare Centers and Libraries, Total of 1,443 Sites Established

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The installation of the free public Wi-Fi service "Kkachion" has been completed in over 1,400 indoor public facilities across Seoul, including senior and disabled welfare centers, youth shelters, libraries, and job and startup support centers.

On the 15th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that in addition to the 1,133 indoor public facilities already equipped with public Wi-Fi, an additional 310 locations were installed last year, completing the deployment of Kkachion in a total of 1,443 locations.

Since welfare and community facilities frequently used by citizens have high demand for public Wi-Fi, besides the 1,443 locations and 7,568 public Wi-Fi units installed by Seoul and local districts, there are also 1,888 units installed by the Ministry of Science and ICT and 351 commercial Wi-Fi units opened by telecom operators. In total, 2,130 indoor welfare and community facilities in Seoul have 9,807 Wi-Fi units installed.

This year, Seoul plans to add Kkachion to 120 more indoor public facilities. These will be installed in six local districts (Gwangjin, Dongdaemun, Seongdong, Nowon, Dobong, and Gangbuk) selected through the citizen participation budget project. Priority will be given to public (city and district) welfare facilities with legal installation and operation grounds, as well as community facilities related to jobs, employment, and education that have high demand for public Wi-Fi.

By installing free public Wi-Fi Kkachion in indoor spaces such as welfare facilities frequently used by information-vulnerable groups, Seoul expects to reduce household communication expenses and bridge the communication gap between regions and social classes.

To use the free public Wi-Fi "Kkachion," simply turn on the Wi-Fi function on your smartphone and select "SEOUL_Secure" (secure connection). There is no need to connect separately at each location; once set up for the first time, it will automatically connect wherever Kkachion is available, providing convenience.

Additionally, Seoul has enhanced security and user convenience by unifying SSIDs and introducing Wi-Fi 6 equipment to address issues with existing public Wi-Fi.

Lee Won-mok, Director of Smart City Policy at Seoul City, said, "Due to the impact of COVID-19 and the rapid shift to a non-face-to-face society, there has been high demand for public Wi-Fi in social welfare centers, senior welfare centers, disabled welfare centers, and disabled work rehabilitation facilities, which are frequently used by information-vulnerable groups such as seniors, the disabled, and low-income individuals. By expanding Kkachion installation in indoor public facilities, we expect to reduce household communication expenses, bridge communication gaps between regions and social classes, and establish a foundation to guarantee citizens' basic communication rights."