Apple Inc. added in phone protection plan AppleCare+ for iPhone users in South Korea upon releasing its 11th series on its iPhone label on Wednesday after years of delay.

AppleCare+ is an extended warranty option to provide repair or replacement hardware service for iPhone buyers, which includes up to two incidents of accidental damage, theft or loss in 24 months.

Apple has introduced the care service option in major countries for past some years, but not in Korea, despite consistent demand from Korean buyers complaining that Apple discriminates Korean consumers. Some Korean iPhone users have purchased the optional warranty service in other countries such as the U.S. and Japan.

Customers now are able to buy the option in Korea within 60 days of purchases of the iPhone series from 7 to 11 – reportedly at 199,000 won ($167.06) for iPhone XR and 169,000 won for iPhone 8.

Coverage begins on the purchase date, and each incident is subject to the deductibles of 40,000 won for screen damage and 120,000 won for the others.

Apple iPhones also come with two years of hardware repair coverage, becoming the first smartphone in Korea to follow the country’s Fair Trade Commission’s announcement for the revision of the smartphone warranty coverage period to two years from the current one-year standard starting January next year.

Meanwhile, Apple has launched its latest smartphone series of iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max featuring much advanced cameras, better screens, a faster processor and improved battery life at its headquarters in Cupertino, California on Tuesday (local time). New phones will come in new colors of green and purple.

The new iPhone 11 gets the most attention from the media worldwide, but some say the modest upgrades do not look much different from the previous versions.​

By Lee Dong-in and Lee Ha-yeon

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]