Well, if you haven’t already done so, you can pre-order your iPhone at http://phonestore.show.co.kr/handler/N2 .  My girlfriend and I each ordered one this afternoon.

KT’s iPhone package prices are as follows:

iLite Plan 45,000 won /month

Included: 200 talk minutes, 300 text messages, 500 megabytes of data transfer (3G)

Handset prices: 32 gigabyte 3GS for 396,000 won, 16 gigabyte 3GS for 264,000 won

iMedium plan 65,000 400 min/month

Included: 400 talk minutes, 300 text messages, 1 gigabyte of data transfer (3G)

Handset prices: 32 gigabyte 3GS for 264,000, 16 gigabyte 3GS for 132,000, 3G 8 gigabyte is free

iPremium plan 95,000 won/month

Included: 800 talk minutes, 300 text messages, 3 gigabytes of data transfer

Handset prices: 32 gigabyte 3GS for 132,000 won, the 16 gigabyte 3GS and the 8 gigabyte 3G are free

A Few Things….

-The actual phone costs 946,000 won for the 32gig 3GS and 814,000 won for the 16gig 3GS. KT is subsidizing 550,000 won of the cost of the phone.

-Foreigners cannot get the iPhone for some reason (which is why I’m getting mine with my girlfriend’s name. She says that a Korean can have up to 12 mobile phones in Korea. 4 phones from each of the 3 carriers)

-When you are outside of a WIFI network, the 3G network automatically kicks in and they start counting every byte of usage

-Each plan is a 2 year contract

-You cannot cancel the contract

-You cannot transfer your plan to another person’s name

-Unless you’ve got some serious Korean language skills, you better grab a Korean friend to help you out with the website application via the link above

You Can Have An iPhone In Korea – For about $1,000 USD Upfront

If you can believe it, you can now actually use your iPhone in Korea with phone capability without Skype. The iPhone screen-shot you see above is of what is claimed as the first working iPhone in Korea.  I just received a barrage of information concerning this.  With the lifting of the WIPI requirement in April earlier this year, it cleared the road for a possible iPhone in Korea. It is only recent development however, with the offering of individual phone radio testing, that has made it possible for a functional iPhone in Korea.

The authentication process is done at the Radio Research Agency of Korea.  The actual certificate is called “Certification for Broadcasting and Communications Equipment.” The testing takes about 5 days, and once completed, merits a certificate like the one below.

From the select few that have had the privilege of using their iPhone in Korea, reviews of operating the iPhone on KT or SK Telecom’s network is bad. Poor reception, dropped calls, and lost text messages.  Battery drains quickly. Certain phones cannot ever send text messages to iPhone properly. These are some of the complaints thus far. I will update this blog regarding this as soon as I get more info. There is speculation that many of this is due to hardware that is not tuned for their networks, and lack of a proper antenna.

Currently, about 10-20 people apply daily for the “Certification of Broadcasting and Communication Equipment.” The price is for the testing, licensing, and certificate costs a total of 360,190 won. This process is necessary so the radio in the phone is “authenticated.” This price does not include the price of an iPhone (anywhere from $300 for a 1st gen iPhone to $800 for a new 32 gig iPhone 3GS) without contract.

Registering Your iPhone with KTF and SK Telecom

You can actually register your iPhone in Korea with both SK Telecom and KTF. However, if you look in the advertisement below, you’ll notice some advantages with KTF. In the advertisement below (hat tip to one of our readers Joseph Kim), there’s a few bonuses in registering your certified Korean iPhone with KTF.

-KT offer’s MMS with their current iPhone service (SK does not offer this with their service)

-Free iPhone Case-Mate case

-Free portable iPhone recharger

-No need to register your phone in-store (you can register through the phone or internet)

-Cheap internet options

-Any calling option is offered with the iPhone in Korea

Is It Worth It?

Am I in a rush to register my iPhone at the moment? No. I have substantial fees for canceling my contract with LG Telecom, plus another 400,000 won to apply for my iPhone to be certified, plus dealing with all the issues current iPhone users in Korea have. I really miss using my iPhone as an actual phone rather than just another device, but the costs and the potential headaches associated with the switch just don’t make sense. Hopefully the iPhone will finally officially arrive in Korea next month, but I’m not holding my breath any longer.

See Also:

How To Use Your iPhone in Korea Using Skype and WIFI

Do Korean SIM cards work in the iPhone in Korea?

Why is the iPhone not in Korea?

iPhone 3G vs the 3GS

아이폰 나는 나의 iPhone 을 정말 좋아한다

Who are the major mobile carriers in Korea?

10 reasons why Korea needs the iPhone

Step 1: Get a WiMAX subscription with your Korean mobile phone company

Step 2: Get a wireless router for your WiMAX called an “egg”

Step 3: Get your iPhone or iPod Touch

Step 4: Get Skype

If you have a WiMAX subscription, you can get a router called an “egg,” manufactured by a company called Interbro (branded as Yota in Korea) to use with your iPhone or your iPod Touch. The “egg” turns into a WIFI hotspot, with speeds up to 4 megabits per second. The Egg’s battery lasts an impressive 5 hours, an hour longer than my MacBook. That is faster than most high speed cable connections anywhere in the world. KT has their WiBro service everywhere, including the subways.

KT offers 30 gigabytes of data transfer at speeds up to 4 megabits per second for $20 per month. This is a much, much better than Verizon Wireless’s similar offering in the US called MiFi for $60 for only 5 gigabytes of data transfer.

I currently use my iPhone everywhere here in Korea, and I also use Skype daily to make phone calls home to the US. I’ve used my Skype iPhone App on my iPhone, and it works great. Now you can use your Skype account to make phone calls anywhere in the world for CHEAP. I pay $30/year for a US-based phone number (you can also get a Korean phone number), and $10/month for unlimited phone calls anywhere in the world. Some countries are limited to just land-lines. Fortunately, there are no surcharges to mobile phones in the US and Canada.

There’s been talk for 3 years about the iPhone reaching the Korean shores. There’s a ridiculous amount of hype about it, but its still not here. For now, I’ve found my own band-aid fix to use my iPhone in Korea.

See Also:

How To Use Your iPhone in Korea Without Skype (Full Mobile Phone Capability)

Do Korean SIM cards work in the iPhone in Korea?

Why is the iPhone not in Korea?

iPhone 3G vs the 3GS

아이폰 나는 나의 iPhone 을 정말 좋아한다

Who are the major mobile carriers in Korea?

10 reasons why Korea needs the iPhone

Confirmed. Could it really be true? Finally? iPhone is coming to Korea at last? In a phone interview just this past Friday:

“Apple iPhone will be in our smartphone line-up. iPhone will help to expand the smartphone market and will contribute to increasing the ARPU” (average revenue per user)

Kim Yeon Hak, Chief Financial Officer, KTF

We’ll see. We’ve been hearing the same thing over and over, although this one seems a little more official.  Despite the seemingly good news, no word yet on when its the iPhone’s arrival in the land of kimchi soup, and no word on pricing.

It is speculated however, that it will be priced similarly to the US – $100 USD for the 3G, $200 USD for the 16 gigabyte 3GS, and $300 USD for the 32 gigabyte 3GS. Additionally, there is talk about Korea possibly being the only country where the iPhone will be released with more than one service provider (SK Telecom is the other contendor).

What’s worse, there’s all kinds of blogs and news sites with even more confusing information containing misleading and false information, and even blatantly obvious fake advertisements like this one:

가짜 KT 아이폰 광고.

After searching the internet and the news, and asking locals of the land of kimchi soup for translations, I have realized that KT and KTF are the same company.  KTF and KT ICOM are subsidiaries of KT Corporation, and KT Freetel is the same as KTF.

This is to clarify which KT is which, once and for all:

KTF, a subsidiary of KT Corporation, is the second largest mobile carrier in Korea

KT Freetel is also known as KTF

KT ICOM is the subsidiary of KT Corporation responsible for WCDMA technology

KT Corporation is South Korea’s largest land-line telephone service provider.

Recently, there have been news everywhere about KTF, KT, Korea Telecom, and SK Telecom and the anticipated debut of the Apple iPhone in South Korea. The iPhone is still unavailable in South Korea, home of the largest manufacturers of handsets in the world.

The photo above shows the video performance difference between the iPhone 3G and the 3GS.

The new iPhone 3GS has some significant improvements over the iPhone 3G. First off, the name is different. Apple added an “S” for the more expensive model to stand for “Speed.” The 3GS is up to twice as fast at loading pages, running software applications, opening email and email attachments due to a faster processor.

Another big feature, available for the first time, is video recording capability on the 3GS. You can easily record video, edit, and share right on your iPhone. This is huge since the iPhone has WIFI where available or 3G speeds if not. Uploading videos to YouTube and other similar video-sharing sites is now a piece of cake.

A third upgrade with the premium 3GS is the higher quality 3 megapixel camera. The biggest difference with this camera isn’t the extra megapixel – its the touch-focus feature. Simply tap on the object you’d like to focus on, and the camera does all the work. Here’s proof.

For all you fans of the new voice control iPod Nano, the same voice control is now part of the upgrade of the new 3GS.  Not only can you control your iPod by merely speaking, you have the same feature for finding contacts on your iPhone. I always felt searching for contacts on my iPhone was the easiest of any phone I’ve ever owned, but now, Apple somehow made it even easier.

Photo above shows the 3G on the left and the 3GS on the right with the “self-orienting”  feature.

Finally, the fifth major difference between the 3G and the 3GS is the new built-in digital compass on the more powerful model. Apple’s intent was not for you to feel like a Boy Scout again with this one.  Their objective is its potential with new applications and its potential when fused with Google Maps. Since it self-orients itself, the map or guide you view will move as you move.  Superior GPS systems will be available with this new feature.

I’m not sure if all 3 models will be available in Korea, or if all features of the iPhone models in the US will be available in Korea.  It would be a pity if KTF or SK Telecom (sounds like KTF may have gotten the contract with Apple) strip any features of the iPhone to protect their profits from internet usage on the Korean iPhones. Nobody knows exactly what prices for the iPhone will be like or how the service contracts will read, but currently in the US, the price for the 8 gigabyte iPhone 3G with a 2 year contract is only $99, $199 for the 3GS with 16 gigabytes of storage, and $299 for the 3GS with 32 gigabytes of storage. Is it worth the price difference? Yes, if you’re like most people. No, if you don’t take pictures or take advantage of the applications.

After 2 years of agony for Korean iPhone fans, it looks as though the iPhone may finally reach the shores of South Korea. Rumors are surfacing about an agreement made between Apple and KTF, one of Korea’s major mobile carriers.  It is undetermined whether both the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS will offered, and there are still questions regarding the availability of WIFI on the Korean version of the popular phone handset. It is speculated that the release of the Apple iPhone in Korea will be later this month or September.  Stay tuned for more information.