Apple is reopening its retail store in South Korea, making it the first Apple Store outside Greater China to reopen following the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The store, Apple’s first and only in South Korea, opened in 2018. It is located in the upmarket Gangnam district, in the city of Seoul. Along with every Apple Store outside China, it closed on March 13 as part of Apple’s COVID-19 response. It will reopen its doors on April 18, a little over a month after closing.
The reopening was first noted by 9to5Mac on Thursday. It points out that the store will initially be open only for reduced hours of midday to 8pm.
When it made its original call to close Apple Stores in March, Apple said that, “This global effort — to protect the most vulnerable, to study this virus, and to care for the sick — requires all of our care, and all of our participation.”
Apple Stores in China were the first to close — and to reopen. Apple reopened all 42 stores in China in mid-March. However, Apple’s other 460 Apple Stores (including 270 in the U.S.) have remained closed. The South Korea store represents the first in what will presumably be a staggered re-opening on Apple’s part. Tim Cook is one of a number of advisers who will be consulted by President Donald Trump about reopening the U.S. economy.
In a recent memo, Apple’s SVP of Retail and People Deirdre O’Brien said that Apple Stores in the United States will stay closed until at least early May.
