Eyes in the sky are watching

The following is a tip on traditional Korean language and customs in response to a query from a Mr. Morse, who wrote to us from Seoul:

Q. Mr. Morse:
I cannot believe how many cameras are found on Korean streets. In places I’ve seen several cameras on a single block. The whole thing reminds me of Hollywood sci-fi films where citizens are monitored around the clock by Big Brother. What exactly do these cameras spy on, and how many are there in the country?

A. IHT-JAD:
The cameras on the roadways aren’t watching people, but cars. Two types of cameras are in place: one for detecting speeding vehicles and the other for monitoring traffic.

According to the Korea Highway Corporation, at the moment, there are 526 cameras designed to survey traffic over a total of 2,660 kilometers of expressways in the country, which works out to about one camera for every five kilometers of road.

The number of cameras monitoring traffic changes from time to time, but the number devoted to catching speeders is on the rise.

A spokesperson at the Korean National Policy Agency said that there are 2,190 cameras across the country on the lookout for speeding vehicles. By the end of 2008, that number will increase to 8,000.