Apple Store to reopen in South Korea with an emphasis on fixing Macs and iPhones
- An Apple store outside of China is re-opening for the first time since stores around the world closed in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
- The store is located in Seoul, South Korea.
- The store will have limited hours at first and will focus on fixing existing customers' iPhones and computers.
Apple stores outside of China have been closed since March in response to the coronavirus pandemic, without a scheduled date for them to reopen.
An Apple store in Seoul will reopen on Saturday, an Apple representative confirmed. It's the first Apple retail store outside of China to reopen and Apple's only store in South Korea.
The store will have limited hours and will focus on fixing existing customers' iPhones and computers.
"To start, we'll have an adjusted schedule and guidelines to ensure customers and employees continue to stay healthy. A focus for the store will be service and support at the Genius Bar. For customers who want to make a purchase, we have several options including ordering online for delivery or pick up in store," Apple said in a statement.
The Seoul store reopening provides a preview of Apple's strategy to reopen its retail facilities once other countries begin to lift stay-at-home orders. Hundreds of Apple Stores around the world remained closed.
South Korea was hit early by the coronavirus outbreak but its response has drawn praise around the world, particularly for its ability to widely test for the virus. There have been 10,613 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and over 500,000 tests carried out in the country, according to official stats.
Apple warned in February, while attention was still largely focused on China, that its second-quarter revenue would be hurt by the Covid-19. It said it expected lower demand in China and global supply constraints for iPhones. Since then, Apple shares are down more than 10%. Apple reports earnings on April 30.