Some in South Korea’s tech industry say Apple is “absurd” for claiming it created 325,000 jobs in that country since 1998.
The true number, industry analysts there say, is only 500.
Apple’s impact on South Korea is much larger than most fans will have anticipated.
Cupertino directly employs 500 workers of its own, and has created hundreds of thousands of jobs on Samsung’s home turf. Local App Store developers have earned a whopping 4.7 trillion won.
Apple has come up with a proposal that would end a dispute with South Korea’s antitrust regulator.
Apple stands accused of abusing its dominant position in the marketplace. It reportedly did this by requiring phone carriers in the country to pay for the cost of iPhone ads on TV.
Another dispute between countries looms over Apple, but this one dates back to World War II and could cause the tech giant heartburn as it readies the lineup of 2019 iPhones.
Japan will tighten export restrictions on South Korea for materials used to make smartphone chips and displays beginning Thursday. Japan imposed the rule after a court in South Korea ordered Japan’s Nippon Steel to compensate South Koreans for wartime forced labor.
Qualcomm has suffered a blow by losing a lawsuit to South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission. Korea’s FTC alleged unfair business practices that allowed Qualcomm to hold onto its monopoly position as a mobile chip maker.
The case covers the 2000 to 2009 period, but Qualcomm has spent the past decade fighting it. Qualcomm must pay a total of $242 million in damages, although part of this will be reconsidered at a lower court.
Apple has hit back at claims that it is abusing its power in South Korea by forcing mobile carriers to pay the cost of advertising its devices.
The company said that its actions were fully justified, and that selling the iPhone in South Korea wasn’t just advantaging Apple, but also to local mobile carriers.
Apple is planning to present police officers in South Korea with a plaque to celebrate their work cracking down on almost $1 million worth of fake accessories.
The fake products were supposedly shipped in from China under the guise of being official Apple products. Their distributors are under investigation for potential fraud and trademark violation.
A group of Korean smartphone retailers are upset at Apple for forcing them to purchase in-store tester iPhones. This differs from the usual practice of manufacturers, who will provide free display smartphones and pick them up later.
Apple, it seems, thinks different.
If you thought Fortnite already reached its peak, think again.
Epic Games confirms that its hit Battle Royale game now boasts a staggering 8.3 million concurrent players worldwide. The number more than doubled since February, thanks in part to the game’s recent launch in South Korea.
A number of Apple devices, including the iPhone X and iPad Pro, run the risk of being banned from South Korea, the home of Apple’s long-time frenemy Samsung.
The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy is currently investigating allegations that Apple has infringed on a patent belonging to KAIST, a public research university based in South Korea. The investigation period has already been extended twice, and BusinessKorea suggests that the regulatory commission is likely to make its “final determination” in favor of KAIST.
