SKorean presidential hopeful vows freer Internet

A South Korean presidential candidate is promising to get rid of encryption technology that ties South Korean Internet users to a single web browser - Microsoft's Internet Explorer - for online transactions.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a popular independent presidential candidate, said companies will be free to choose what online security technology they use if he wins the December election.

Voters welcomed the pledge to end the mandatory use of government-designated online certificates for Internet banking and shopping.

The existing system based on 'Active X' technology has been criticized for limiting choice of web browsers and computer operating systems and slowing down computers.

Ahn said that South Korea's unique certificate system has isolated its technology industry from the rest of the world and made web browsing less convenient.