Apple to Open First Store in South Korea on December 30 [Updated]

Apple's first official retail store in South Korea is set to open just before the end of the year on Saturday, December 30, reports Korean site ETNews [Google Translate].

Much of the work on the upcoming store in Seoul's Gangnam district was finished in November, and the construction company that renovated it says that Apple's plan is to open it up on December 30. Barring any special problems at the last stage of construction, the store is likely to open up on that date at 10:00 a.m. local time. Hiring and training for the store has also been completed.

Image via ETNews
Apple retail store chief Angela Ahrendts is rumored to be planning to attend the opening of the first Korean Apple Store, which ETNews says features the same modern design that's been introduced in many Apple Stores around the world over the course of the last couple of years.

Specifically, the site says there's a wide glass front and 18 product tables showing off iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and MacBooks. This is a two-floor store, and other areas like the "Today at Apple" meeting place and the Genius Grove may be located upstairs.

The store is located in the upscale Garosugil shopping district in Gangnam, which houses ritzy restaurants, cafes, and high-end stores.

Apple has recently opened several new locations in Asia, including Taiwan and Singapore. This particular store in South Korea could be Apple's 500th store, so long as no additional Apple Stores open before December 30.

Apple currently has 499 Apple retail stores around the world, not counting Apple Watch boutiques and taking into account the recent closure of the Simi Valley Apple Store. Apple's new Visitor's Center at Apple Park was the 498th store, while the 499th is the new store located in Downtown Brooklyn, which opened in late November.

Update: The upcoming Apple Store in South Korea did not open on December 30 as stated by ETNews. It is still under construction and will open at a later date.

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Top Rated Comments

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bazinga871

23 weeks ago

Apple Gangnam Style?

Rating: 7 Votes

ke-iron

23 weeks ago

Personally I see this as a HUGE waste of resources and effort by Apple. Anyone have the revenue figures for Apple in Korea’s?!

What are you basing your speculations on? If you watch Korean pop tv shows you will see a lot of the younger crowds use iPhones. I also know a lot of them use macs as well.

Apple have stores in China that does tremendously well. So what makes you or anyone else thinks it would not do well in Korea?

Rating: 2 Votes

ersan191

23 weeks ago

Lets hope Kim next door doesn't hear about American corporations setting up camp nearby. He'll get real itchy if he sees this article...

Right wouldn’t that be crazy? Next thing you know they’ll have McDonalds, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Pizza Hut, KFC, Shake Shack, Cinnabon, Dairy Queen, Popeyes, Hollister, A&F, Yankee Candle, New Balance, Banana Republic... oh, wait..
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What an ignorant post. Samsung products in Korea are more expensive than the US and on par with Apple products. Also, like already mentioned, Apple products are doing well there and are pretty common. You may be surprised at how Koreans perceive Samsung...

Indeed. Not everyone in the US drives a Ford just because they are a domestic brand, why would people assume the same about Koreans and Samsung?

Rating: 2 Votes

macs4nw

23 weeks ago

Their 500th store opening in Samsung’s home country... What a time.

That could be a hard sell..... in the lion's den so to speak. Selling higher-priced Apple goodies to Samsung loyalists, right on the turf of the hometown heroes..... :eek::(

Rating: 2 Votes

macs4nw

23 weeks ago

Does apple not have a 30% share? They seem to do fine

.....Not everyone in the US drives a Ford just because they are a domestic brand, why would people assume the same about Koreans and Samsung?

Where there are vocal loyalists, there will always be vocal rebels. Besides, Apple isn’t exactly struggling in South Korea. It’s market share has been around 30% for some years now.

Didn't expect such a loud response to what I thought was an innocuous, tongue-in-cheek response that was meant to poke a little fun at Apple getting a little more aggressive on Samsung's home turf.

Of course they're going to do well, and that first store which will no doubt be followed by others in South Korea, will I'm sure, be welcomed by the many Apple product owners in the immediate vicinity who need advice, service, replacements, repairs, etc.

Perhaps I picked the wrong emojis..... Have a great day y'all. :)

Rating: 1 Votes

thl0103

23 weeks ago

Just out of curiosity, how do Koreans perceive Samsung?

I ask because I am in the United States and I use a Samsung Galaxy S8 plus as my personal smartphone.

You gotta look at it as how people in United States perceive Apple, some love it or hate it, but the thing is Samsung isn't just an electronics maker in Korea, they don't call Korea republic of Samsung for nothing, it's family owns and operates high end department stores, hotels, insurance, auto etc...

I live in San Jose and travel to Korea for work reasons and to see my family about three times a year and Samsung is definitely more "premium" than in US. They obviously have better and more product line ups than what we see in US.

But Apple does great, despite them only having apple online store and resellers to compete with Samsung and LG being in every corner f the street.

I feel my motherland's people are really status oreitend(especially in 'Gangnam') and this first store definitely found it's spot at one of the most expensive streets in Gangnam.

Rating: 1 Votes

wesley96

23 weeks ago

A big congrats to our friends in South Korea. A quick look at Wikipedia shows that Seoul and the surrounding area has a population in excess of 9 million. So I'm sure an Apple retail store will do well even if it is in Samsung's home turf.

Seoul alone has population of 10 million, with the surrounding area having about 10 million more. This “Sudogwon”, or the capital area, has about 40% of the entire South Korean population.

Apple has done very well in terms of selling iOS devices in Korea. It’s the second most popular brand, going against the perpetually dominant Samsung. Yet Apple has not bothered to set up an offline store until now, making a lot of the users feel left out.

Considering the popularity of the brand and the population density of the region, this store is long overdue.
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Lets hope Kim next door doesn't hear about American corporations setting up camp nearby. He'll get real itchy if he sees this article...

Who cares what the “supreme leader” thinks?

If he’s going to get itchy, it’s not because “American corporations setting up camp nearby”, because that happens all the time - South Korea is a highly developed country with good ties to United States. It’s going to be because Kim Jong-un is a Mac user. His main desktop is an iMac (as confirmed by official photos) and it’s no coincidence that the North Korean Linux Distro (Red Star) rips off the macOS interface. Will he invade South Korea to get his AppleCare+? ;)

Rating: 1 Votes

wesley96

23 weeks ago

You know nothing about Korea.

There's already a hugely successful chain of unofficial Apple stores in Korea called Frisbee. They look just like an Apple store and act just like the Apple stores in the US. Apple is just making their official entry into Korea.

Most of the Apple resellers in Korea try to mimic the Apple Store feel, including Willy’s, KMUG, and Neptune.

Rating: 1 Votes

UL2RA

23 weeks ago

Shh, don’t use logic in here.

Rating: 1 Votes

tim_o_teus

21 weeks ago

I can confirm first hand that the Apple Store on Garosu gil Road is NOT opening today (Dec 30). Work onsite is progressing - they have for example today removed the blue ”wall” from the front of the building - but one of the construction crew confirmed that the store is not yet opening, and he had no date to give (or he was not in position to tell... ). Shame, since I would have been happy to witness the launch.

Rating: 1 Votes

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