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[olimo]

Hi,

I have been waiting nearly 1.5 year to get my iphone in Korea, and was surprise this morning to get some information from a KT Shop that a foreigner with a visa less than 2 years cannot apply to get one ! 

After being in Korea for over 8 years, I feel again very lonely to be there under law that again and again do not make our life easier ...

Did someone got it ? if yes where and how ?

Cheers

[seoulstomper]

It's true, and sadly makes sense. The phone is subsidized by the carrier, which means they are making their money only off your monthly bill. The price of the phone (+/-360,000 won) is prorated over the 24-month term of the contract. If the price were not subsidized, the phone would cost you between 700,000 and 900,000 won. So if a foreigner were to sign up, they could keep the phone and vanish and KT would be out not only any profit, but also the cost of the handset (which they apparently pay Apple about 600,000 won for). Even if they were to allow you to purchase an unsubsidized phone, the two-year data contract would be unenforceable due to the one-year visa of most foreigners.
KTs only recourse here would be to sell unsubsidized handsets to foreigners with a pay-as-you-go system; but most foreigners would be loath to pay that much for any phone, plus another 100,000 won or so a month in voice and data charges.

That being said, I've gotten one, and pay only 45,000 (voice/data plan)+ 15,000 for the handset. My secret: get a Korean friend to get it for you, then, in two months, go with them to a KTF SHOW store and change the bank account info to your own. If you are still here after the contract expires, you can then change the phone into your name (I assume).

Here's hoping you have a GOOD Korean chingu like I do!