Reuters reports on the growing popularity of peer-to-peer websites in South Korea that allows subscribers to download movies or television episodes.

User-generated content sites such as “ipop” (www.ipop.co.kr) have clubs where users can pay by the download or pony up monthly subscription fees of about 10,000 won to 20,000 won ($11 to $22) that will let them tap into a huge library of U.S., Japanese, Chinese and Korean TV programming and movies.

One of the most popular peer-to-peer clubs, Mansal, has had nearly 50 million visitors. While many are repeaters, the total is still almost equal to the country’s population.

The article mentions highlights the fact that users want to watch programing at their own convenience and on the move.

Media specialists, however, only see the pirating trend getting stronger. More Koreans are used to finding their programming over the Internet and are aided by even faster download speeds to their laptops and mobile phones.

“Even if you are watching a computer or mobile phone, you still say in Korean that you are watching television,” said Yoon Tae-jin, associate dean of Yonsei University’s Graduate School of Communication and Art.

Yoon said young Koreans want flexibility in time and space. Downloading entertainment allows users to watch programming at a time they feel appropriate and handheld devices allow them to watch it wherever they please.

“More and more people will forget about the television set and regard the Internet as the gateway for so many types of programming and content,” Yoon said.