A KTF employee holds up the ``Show Golf'' phone, which shows the layout of the green and the distance between the ball and the cup.

By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter

Sending cruise missiles into enemy territory is not the only purpose of the global positioning system (GPS). About 2 million car navigation systems are expected to be sold in South Korea this year. But the most exciting applications of GPS technology are being developed for mobile phones.

KTF said on Thursday that it will help golfers aim their tee-shots better with its phones equipped with a virtual golf caddy program. The option allows its users to measure the distance from the tee box to their current positions or from their current positions to the cup. For this, the phones carry the geographic information of some 250 golf courses in Korea and receive real-time data from satellites, the company said.

``With the launching of this service, we are expanding the range of GPS applications from path-finding to leisure activities,'' said KTF Vice President Lee Sang-yeol. ``We will continue to launch tailored services that meet the diverse needs of our customers.''

Though the golf phones may look unprofessional compared to caddies on the golf courses, they actually provide accurate measures. According to the firm, the system has a 5-meter accuracy range in most cases. It also shows the location of fairways, greens, sand bunkers and water hazards. Only two models are currently available but more will come to the market soon, the firm said.

KTF said it also plans to expand the service to other countries in the future, since WCDMA phones can also be used in other nations such as China and the Philippines, two favored destinations of Korean golf lovers. The firm didn't specify when it would be.

The GPS was developed by the U.S military in the 1970s and was later opened to civilian uses. It is now used in cars, boats, airplanes, cell phones and many other devices.

GPS devices receive signals from three satellites orbiting the earth, to give the location and the current time. Now the U.S. government estimates that more than 95 percent of GPS units sold are for civilian use.

Ironically, Korea was involved in the opening of the GPS system to the private sector. In 1983, Soviet jet interceptors shot down a Korean Air civilian airliner carrying 269 passengers that had entered Soviet airspace. After the tragedy, U.S. President Ronald Reagan issued a directive guaranteeing that GPS signals would be available at no charge to the world. The commercial market has grown steadily ever since.

indizio@koreatimes.co.kr