iPhone coming after Samsung's last bastion - the South Korean government

Apple's iPhone may be a threat to Samsung's smart phone strangle-hold on South Korean businesses and government offices, if a local security regulator follows through.

Firms and public institutions in South Korea are currently required to use phones made the country's Samsung company, but a new report says Apple'siPhone could be allowed from February.

Stylised Apple logo used in South Korea store

Apple has been operating in South Korea and selling the iPhone there, but solely to consumers. Under local business laws, companies have been forced to use phones made by the country's own Samsung.

According to ET News, however, the region's National Intelligence Service is finalizing security standards that would allow business use of the iPhone. The NIS actually is working to certify all phones that implement Mobile Device Management (MDM) — including the iPhone.

As part of the process, the NIS is calling for opinions on the required security standards. It intends to announce a final proposal later in January, and if there is no dissent, the new rules will take effect from February.

"We are continuing to collect opinions from Apple and MDM development companies," an NIS spokesperson told the publication. "We plan to finalize and implement the standards as soon as possible."

Speaking for MDM, an unnamed company official predicted that there would be no delay in the process. "There seems to be no difficulty in implementing MDM security requirements," said the official.

"[Since] we have delivered some opinions that could improve certification-related efficiency," continued the spokesperson, "we are likely to go into implementation soon."

There will be specific limitations, however. A business iPhone will be required to be enrolled in the Apple Business Manager (ABM) program, which is operated by Apple.

Companies wanting to use iPhones will only be allowed to buy via ABM, and users will not be able to remove the management program.

Recently, Apple opened its fourth Apple Store in South Korea, a few miles away from the local government's base in Seoul.

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