Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Tigerstyleone]

you can download alleh_mobile service handbook here in English and on page 3 there list a pre paid rates which can be applied to your smartphone including the iphone, but not the iphone 4s because it hasn't been released in Korea yet.
I understand pre paid to mean that you don't need a 2 year contract.


http://expatblog.kt.com/attachment/[email protected]

[s4yunkim]

Hey guys, I just happened to catch this thread and thought I'd put in my input.

First of all, for those who don't know me, my name is Chris, and I'm a manager in the Expat Marketing Team at kt. (Not a branch, btw, I'm at the corporate level.)

I'm also "the guy who runs the @olleh_expats twitter account" that someone so graciously mentioned earlier in the thread, and I also single handedly put together the Expat Blog and the "olleh mobile service guide".
(It's a small team, with a LOT of work to do.....)



To answer the OP's question, YES you can get an iPhone without having to sign a 2-year contract. You actually have a few different options:

1. You can pay for the full cost of the phone up front, and get the subsidy (aka discount) for the phone divided monthly, every month, for up to 3 years.

There is no "contract" for this plan, meaning that you can can terminate your service plan whenever needed. Of course it is in your benefit to use it as long as possible, because it's a kind of a "longer you use it, the more of a discount you get" kinda thing.
This is a program known as "Smart Sponsor".


2. You can sign a 1 year service contract through a program called "Shocking Sponsor Basic". As stated, this program does require the subscriber to complete a full 12 month service contract, but offers the benefit of getting a bunch of discounts upfront.


(If you qualify for an installment plan, you can also pay for the cost of the phone divided over 24 months, interest-free, with the option to complete payment anytime you like without penalty. This would be useful for situations where the full cost of an iPhone would be a bit burden some, so you can pay parts of it off at a time until you terminate your service, where you will be required to pay off whatever is left.)






For more exact pricing, I would suggest dropping by one of our kt Global Stores (Locations here: http://expatblog.kt.com/category/List%20of%20KT%20Global%20Stores).

The stores at Gwanghwamun and Gangnam are "kt Direct Stores", meaning that the stores are run by a subsidiary of ours called KT M&S, and they tend to have more accurate information. Being "Global Stores", they are at guaranteed to have at least one English speaker there. (I've worked with the English speakers at the Gwanghwamun store many times, and am very confident in their abilities.)

You can also visit a kt Plaza, which are also run by us, but they are not guaranteed to have a foreign language speaker on hand... so you may need to bring a Korean friend to help you interpret.


You can drop me a line on twitter at @olleh_expats, and I would be more than happy to help you find the closest place to you. ^^

There is also a plethora of information on our Expat Blog at http://expatblog.kt.com, and you can also download a PDF copy of our Service Guide here: http://expatblog.kt.com/notice/69

Hope that helps, have a great evening!





--Chris Kim
Expat Marketing Team, KT

[Tigerstyleone]

[Drew10]

Chris,

Sorry to say but due to my dealings with M&S I can't say I'm a fan of how they operate.

I of course am partial to the Global store in Dongducheon, however I know that's a bit out of the way for most expats.

[Drew10]

[Tigerstyleone]

So what is the final conclusion?

According to Drew10 the only contract is a 2 year contract, but now
we learn there IS a one year contract and other options.

So what is the deal ? Drew claims to know everything because he works at a KT branch yet Chris has provided actual names of service plans that we as foreigners can obtain from a KT Global Store.

If you can't make it to a global store have your local KT branch call the service center and the foreign rep can explain to them how to process the foreign contract in the system.

[s4yunkim]

What Drew said is correct, to a point.

Often times, mobile phone dealerships (especially the ones who have all three carrier logo's on their store signs) will only sell a certain product (aka type of contract, phone, etc), because they make different levels of profit depending on what they sell.

Unfortuneatly, this leads to some confusion for customers, as it sounds like kt's corporate offices say one thing, and the actual stores say another.


In case there is some confusion, here is a link defining the differences between the different kinds of stores (something that I think even many native Koreans don't know):

http://expatblog.kt.com/175



Internally the term "kt branch", would normally refer to a regional branch office of kt's corporate offices, where there are often customer service centers available, but after having talked with Drew, in this case it sounds like Drew10 works at a mobile phone dealer, rather than a kt branch.

Again, not to say that Drew10 is completely wrong, but his point of view is a bit different from official channels.




Long story short, yes, you can sign up for a 1-year contract or a no-contract plan, and if you are having trouble signing up for one at a mobile phone dealer, shoot me a message on twitter (@olleh_expats, http://twitter.com/olleh_expats )and I will help you locate a kt direct store or a kt plaza near you.

Hope that helps!


Chris Kim
Manager, Expat Marketing Team
KT

[munybse]

Went to a shop in Daegu this weekend and the lady was trying to sell my co-worker an iPhone on a 1 year contract - so it does seem possible. What seems much more difficult is getting a phone that isn't a smart phone.

[col89]

[UknowsI]

[s4yunkim]

[s4yunkim]

[shostahoosier]

[Drew10]

That guy is a pretty decent troll. Trolling me in threads I never posted in, trolling my PM's..ETC.

Chris has alot of good information, and should be considered the main source of info from KT on this forum.

I can only relate my personal experiences and knowledge in working as a manager of an independent retail shop. Though I do work closely with a Global store and 2 affiliate stores listed on the KT expat blog, Chris will have the most up-to-date information.

[col89]