The company has posted job openings for the new store

Jan 6, 2017 12:04 GMT  ·  By

Apple Korea has posted job openings for the first-ever Apple Store in South Korea, Samsung’s home country. It seems that the company has 15 such openings for a new store that will be opened in Seoul, South Korea.

Local news agencies say that construction at the new Apple Store has already started in the southern district of Seoul. The store might open late this year and until then local customers can buy iPhones through re-sellers and from Apple’s online store.

“We’re excited about opening our first Apple Store in Korea, one of the world’s economic centers and a leader in telecommunication and technology, with a vibrant K-culture. We’re now hiring the team that will offer our customers in Seoul the service, education and entertainment that is loved by Apple customers around the world,” Apple Korea said.

Apple is planning to open a Genius Bar at the Apple Store

Apple is also hiring Geniuses who would help assist customers with issues that they might have with their Apple products at Genius Bars in Apple Stores. Currently, Apple provides service to customers through partnerships with service providers in Korea, but the creation of a Genius Bar would allow the company to take matters into its own hands.

The Apple Store in Korea will consist of two floors with a basement and it seems that construction might end in November, which means that the opening date could be set in December, possibly in time for Apple to promote its new iPhone during the winter holidays. This isn’t the only international move that Apple has made, recent reports have shown that the company intends to start iPhone production in India.

A store in South Korea would certainly intensify the competition between Apple and Korean-native smartphone maker Samsung. The two companies have been competing against each other in the market of premium smartphones, and lately Apple has been attracting more and more customers following Samsung’s fiasco with the Galaxy Note 7.