Koreans, it would appear, are willing to pay over and above the established retail price for Apple’s iPad in order to get their tech savvy hands on one before the official release date in Korea.
In April, a lift on the requirement for Koreans to obtain government radio wave certification has encouraged the sales of iPads through internet cafes and online communities, with many purchasing the device for around 50% more than the retail price in the US.
www.joonggonara.co.kr has become a popular site for people who want to be the first in their office to snap up the much hyped device and many seem willing to pay a premium for the privilege, dropping a cool 1.2 million won ($1.100) for a 64GB version.
Even with a possible launch date just around the corner, with sources citing the end of May, many people just can’t wait.
Sung-Yoon, a university student in Daegu told RCR he would be willing to pay more for the opportunity to use the iPad “before any of my friends have it and buying online seems an attractive idea”.
In theory, someone in Korea could buy an iPad from a seller in the U.S and the Korean government would not blink an eye lid, as the transaction would be considered one hundred percent legitimate.
The problem arises, however, when a seller in the U.S buys through various sources and repeatedly sells to multiple iPad hunters in Korea. Although this activity is illegal, it can be hard to detect and prohibit it.
Of course, Koreans may have their own home-grown iPad-alike come August according to local firm Samsung, which plans to release a device rather cheekily named, the “sPad”.
It remains to be seen whether or not this announcement is likely to deter Koreans with iPad fever from buying overseas, and keep their cash in their pockets in anticipation of what Korea’s answer is to next big thing.
