(Yonhap Feature) Cable TV Firms Face Challenges from Digital Media.

(From Yonhap)

Byline: Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- Ask any South Korean how much a set of three pressed pants or a windbreaker costs these days and many will be able to answer accurately, testament to the growing popularity of home shopping cable channels.

After a surge of growth in the past decade, cable television has become a part of daily, and commercial, life on the Southern end of the peninsula. The nation's cable TV service began on March 1, 1995 with 48 system operators (SOs) and 24 program providers (PPs). Ten years later, the numbers have risen to 119 and 179, respectively, according to the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) that governs the …