iPhone Launches in South Korea, Pre-Orders hit 65K

Apple launched its iPhone 3GS in South Korea this weekend and the response has been strong. Lines formed at the stores of the iPhone’s carrier, KT for a chance to purchase one of the first batches of the new (to them) smartphone. In a market dominated by Samsung and LG and where smartphones are just starting to take off, KT received 65,000 preorders.

"We're hoping that this iPhone will be a trigger point for the smartphone market in Korea," said Yang Hyun-mi, chief strategy officer at KT Corp., Apple's local partner. Smartphones make up just 1 percent of all cell phones in South Korea, she said. Yang declined to offer a sales forecast for the iPhone, but said KT was optimistic given higher-than-expected advance orders.

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