South Korea

Apple is preparing to open a new retail store in Yeouido, South Korea. The store will be Apple's second retail location in the country. Apple Yeouido will be located in the IFC Mall, which is in Seoul's financial district by the Han River. Apple has shared wallpapers and an animation on its website to announce the opening of Apple Yeouido. Apple's first retail store in South Korea,...

Apple's unreleased MagSafe Duo Charger has passed Korea's National Radio Research Agency (NRRA) compliance test, a possible indication that the wireless charging pad is almost ready for shipment. Apple announced the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo during its ‌iPhone 12‌ launch event in October. The charging accessory is vaguely reminiscent of Apple's canceled AirPower charging mat, featuring space to charge...

The upcoming iPhone 12 lineup may launch earlier than usual in South Korea, reports The Korea Herald. South Korean telecoms firms speaking to The Korea Herald have said that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup will launch ahead of its usual schedule. Normally, the release of new iPhones in South Korea comes about one month after launch in the United States. Last year, the ‌iPhone‌ 11 arrived in South...

Apple's South Korea business has offered to make a 100 billion won ($84 million) payout to support small businesses and help consumers, according to the country's competition watchdog (via Reuters). The Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) investigated Apple Korea in 2016 for requiring SK Telecom, KT Corp, and LG Uplus Corp to pay the cost of television advertisements and warranty service for ...

Multiple startup companies in Korea are calling for an investigation into Apple and Google's in-app purchase practices, reports The Korea Herald. An alliance of app developers and small companies submitted a petition to the Korea Communications Commission earlier today, asking for an investigation into whether Apple and Google may be violating Korean laws on in-app purchases and...

Apple has included an ECG function in new Apple Watch models since 2018, providing users in select territories with the ability to measure the electrical activity of their heart. Apple now appears to be ready to extend the ECG feature to South Korea, based on recent government filings. According to etnews, Apple has obtained an approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in...

South Korea's antitrust regulator has decided to allow Apple to map out a set of measure to address its anti-competitive business practices in the country, reports the Korea Herald. The Fair Trade Commission investigated Apple Korea for requiring SK Telecom, KT Corp, and LG Uplus Corp to pay the cost of television advertisements and warranty service for its iPhones. The investigation...

Apple Watch Series 5 models are now available to purchase at Apple Stores and select resellers in Brazil, Korea, and Thailand, with both Wi-Fi-only and cellular models released today following pre-orders. Pricing starts at R$3,999 in Brazil, ₩539,000 in Korea, and ฿14,400 in Thailand. Carriers:Brazil: Claro and Vivo Korea: KT, SK Telecom, and LG U+ Thailand: AIS, dtac, and TrueMoveApple ...

Apple today revealed job creation figures in South Korea for the first time since entering the country two decades ago, as noted by The Korea Herald. In a new page on its website, Apple says it has created and supports 325,000 jobs in South Korea, including 500 direct employees, 125,000 jobs through partners in the country like component manufacturers and product distributors, and 200,000...

Apple will express its gratitude to Korean police for seizing fake accessories worth 1 billion won ($892,000) by presenting a plaque to officers at a local police unit, reports The Korea Herald. As a token of thanks, Donald Shruhan, senior regional director for Apple's Asia-Pacific operations, will visit the Bucheon Sosa Police Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday to deliver a...

Apple has announced through its regional websites that Apple Watch Series 3 LTE models will be available to pre-order in Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates on Friday, June 8. Brazilian customers hoping to pick up and Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE can expect to pay 3,119 reais (about $826) for the 38mm model and 3449 for the 42mm model. Claro will be the sole network...

Italy and South Korea on Thursday joined a growing list of countries in which class-action lawsuits and government investigations into Apple's iPhone battery slowdowns are underway. Italy's antitrust body revealed it had opened a probe into allegations that Apple used iOS updates to slow older smartphones and push clients into buying new models (via Reuters). The Italian watchdog said Apple...

Apple today announced that its first retail store in South Korea opens on Saturday, January 27, at 10:00 a.m. local time, just a few weeks prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Pyeongchang on Friday, February 9. The store is located in the upscale Garosugil shopping area in the Gangnam District of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The location will be open seven days per...

A few Apple executives have had meetings with South Korean financial authorities, spurring a rumor that the Cupertino company is beginning to make headway in its attempt to launch Apple Pay in the country. Sources speaking with The Korea Herald said that Apple's legal director and senior counselor met with the country's financial authorities back in November to discuss Apple Pay, but the company...

Pokémon Go finally launched in South Korea today, almost six months after the popular game's initial launch. Developers Niantic had to overcome some unique challenges to bring Pokémons to the hugely lucrative gaming market because of the way the game relies on Google Maps to work. Those functions are limited by the government for national security reasons, because the country is...

Apple will open its first retail store in South Korea this year, according to a report on Friday (via Reuters). The country's Yonhap News Agency said that construction was underway for a store in the southern district of Seoul and that work on the site would likely be completed by the end of November. Image: Flickr "We're excited about opening our first Apple Store in Korea, one of the...

Apple has been criticized in South Korea for its mobile app refund policy which game developers say removes them from the process and is regularly being abused. Apple controls the App Store payment refund process for paid-for apps and determines whether to give refunds to consumers. According to The Korea Times, because Apple does not provide information about who has been issued a refund,...

Apple has announced that iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch in India on October 7 and in Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Montenegro, South Africa, and Turkey on October 14. The smartphones also launch in Ukraine on October 7, and in South Korea and Thailand on October 21, according to local news reports. In India, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available through online shops Flipkart,...

Last year, it was reported that Apple has poached Samsung engineers to develop battery technologies for its widely rumored electric vehicle, and now another unnamed South Korean company may be involved with the project. Korean site ETNews now reports that a small Korean battery company, which comprises 20 or so employees described as "expert technologists in batteries," has been tapped to...

South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating "some matters" relating to Apple's business practices in the country, according to a Reuters report this morning. The comment was made Tuesday by the FTC chairman Jeong Jae-chan during a parliamentary hearing, but he declined to elaborate when asked to do so by a South Korean lawmaker. Last week, the Korea Times cited sources...