Garosugil Apple Store to Reopen from the 18th

Apple "Korea Made Significant Progress During COVID-19 Spread"
Stores Open from Noon on the 18th... Operating Mainly for Service Support

Customers are lining up to purchase the iPhone 11 at the Apple Garosugil store in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 25th, the domestic release date of the iPhone 11. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Apple will reopen the Garosugil Apple Store starting on the 18th.

According to Bloomberg and others on the 16th (local time), Apple will resume operations at the Garosugil Apple Store from 12 PM on the 18th. This marks the reopening of the store 32 days after it was closed due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection in South Korea.

Apple stated, "Significant progress has been made in South Korea during the COVID-19 outbreak, and we have determined it is safe enough to reopen," adding, "We will focus more on providing service support such as the Genius Bar rather than sales."

The Apple Store will continue to offer in-store purchases as well as online purchase and pickup services. Following the release of the iPhone SE 2nd generation the day before and the fact that the number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea has maintained double-digit increases, it appears the decision was made to reopen the offline store.

As COVID-19 spread, Apple closed about 460 stores outside of China starting at the end of March. From early May, Apple plans to gradually reopen stores in the United States as well, reflecting local conditions and guidelines.