iPhone being released in South Korea

Posted by admin | Filed under iphone

The iPhone is coming to South Korea this coming week. Local carrier KT Corp. began accepting iPhone orders online and in stores Sunday with the service going live on 28 November.

The announcement ends a long wait in South Korea for Apple’s iPhone with the South Korean market dominated by domestic manufacturers Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. Speculation has focused on how South Korean consumers, known for favoring the local makers, will react to the iPhone’s introduction.

Steve Park, Apple’s spokesman in Seoul, confirmed KT’s announcement, but declined further comment and would offer no sales projections.

The iPhone made its formal debut in China late last month via local partner China Unicom Ltd. It went on sale in Japan last year and is also available in India and Australia, as well as other countries in the region.

Worldwide the iPhone is available in 86 countries and territories and will be soon in four more, according to Apple’s Web site. Despite KT’s announcement, the site still did not mention South Korea.

“We are thrilled to bring iPhone to South Korea,” Kim Woo-sik, CEO of KT’s personal customer group, said in a press release. “Our customers will enjoy the power and benefits of using the revolutionary iPhone on KT’s 3G network.”

The iPhone’s introduction was delayed by regulatory hurdles, the last of which was overcome on Wednesday when the Korea Communications Commission approved the granting of a business license to Apple to offer location based services including functions such as maps and direction finders that are included on the iPhone3GS. South Korean law requires companies that provide such applications to obtain government permission.

Tags: , ,

Permalink | Comments (0) | Nov 23, 2009

Comments are closed.