South Korean iPhone sales reach 2 million

South Korean wireless carrier KT confirmed that it has sold over 2 million iPhones since the handset launched in the country a little over a year ago. After regulatory wrangling, the iPhone finally made its debut in late 2009, and various versions of the handset have been sold exclusively by KT. The iPhone 4 made its debut in September 2010, and KT broke the 1 million iPhones sold mark in October. According to the latest figures, over 1 in every 25 South Koreans own an iPhone, and over 50 percent of these are iPhone 4s.

The explosion of the iPhone in South Korea has shaken up the wireless industry in the Korean country by putting pressure on competing wireless carriers and handset manufacturers. KT, formerly Korea Telecom, is the #2 wireless carrier behind leader SK Telecom. The #2 carrier has an exclusive on the iPhone and is grabbing customers from its bigger rival, which offers a variety of Android handsets. The situation mirrors the US, where #2 AT&T has been creeping closer to #1 Verizon Wireless due to the success of the iPhone. Until 2011 when Verizon announced the CDMA iPhone 4, AT&T had enjoyed over three years of exclusivity with the iPhone.

South Korea is also the home to handset manufacturers Samsung and LG, both of which are highly regarded in their home countries. Samsung is the manufacturer of the popular Android-powered Galaxy S handset, which has sold over 10 million units worldwide, and the Galaxy Tab, which has sold over 1.5 million units. LG is also on the forefront of the Android world with the Optimus 2X, a 1080P-recording, Tegra 2-powered handset that debuted this weekend on SK Telecom.

In the upcoming year, the South Korean market is expected to grow from 6.1 million handsets to 16.2 million. It will be interesting to revisit these numbers next year and see how many iPhones make their way into the hands of the South Korean people.
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