By: Angela Soric
The South Korean government has approved the sale of iPhones in a country that is known to be one of the world’s most closed markets for cell phones.
In the past, South Korea has protected the country’s mobile market by limiting customer choices. This strategy helped make Samsung and LG major players in the cell phone manufacturing market.
According to the Wall Street Journal, since the iPhone went on sale in 2007, South Korea has long stood out as one of the few technically advanced countries not to allow it. It is reported that the Korean Communications Commission’s main reason for blocking the iPhone was due to a rule violation regarding the iPhone’s built-in mapping capabilities. However, on Wednesday the Commission made an exception.
After realizing the significant lag in Smartphone technology as well as months of consumer pressure, the Commission has decided to embrace the iPhone.
“This is a big strike for the government in saying that this is an open market,” said Chung Yun-ho, managing partner of Veyond Partners. “Many people regard Korea as an advanced telecom market but they are acknowledging that we are lagging behind in Smartphones. They wanted to pressure the telecom companies to embrace new things.”
There is currently no indication of a release date, price, or carrier for the iPhone in South Korea.
