At 7:55 a.m. on the 18th, as the iPhone 18 Pro series was launched in Korea, Apple employees wearing matching turquoise T-shirts entered the Apple Store in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. The staff quickly formed two neat lines at the entrance, ready to welcome the first customers. A ten-countdown began amid applause and cheers. At exactly 8:00 a.m., as the doors opened, all iPhone 18 Pro series models on display were powered on simultaneously, signaling their official release in Korea.
To mark the domestic launch of the iPhone 18 Pro series, more than 70 pre-order customers lined up outside the Myeong-dong Apple Store that day. While earlier models allowed same-day purchases at the store on launch day, this time only pre-order customers were eligible to buy the product on the first day. Nevertheless, over 20 customers who missed out on pre-orders still queued from early morning to experience the iPhone 18 Pro series. This was possible because South Korea was included in the initial list of countries launching the iPhone 18 Pro series, making it one of the first places worldwide where consumers could get their hands on the new device. Several foreign tourists were also seen stopping by and joining the waiting line.
The honor of being the first buyer in Korea went to Lee Young-ju (32), a university student. This was his third attempt at becoming the first buyer; after finishing his classes the previous day, he headed straight to the Apple Store. Arriving around 7 p.m., Lee waited for 13 hours before finally becoming the first purchaser of the iPhone 18 Pro. The products he bought that day were the iPhone 18 Pro in Glacier color and the Apple Watch Series 12.
Lee said, "I currently use an iPhone Air and tend to upgrade my phone every year. For the iPhone 18 Pro, I wanted to upgrade the camera features, and for the Apple Watch, I chose it after seeing its heart rate monitoring function." He added, "Becoming the first buyer is one of my bucket list items, so I've tried each time a new model is released. I'm extremely happy that I succeeded on my third attempt." When asked if he would try to be the first buyer again when the next model launches, he smiled and replied, "I've already done it once, so I won't do it anymore."
Following Lee, Park Seong-kwon (34), a video director, became the second buyer, purchasing the iPhone 18 Pro in Burgundy. He explained, "The variable aperture feature was added, which prompted me to switch from my iPhone 16. As a fan of BLACKPINK's Rosé, I chose the Burgundy model that she selected in the advertisement." Park also mentioned, "I arrived at 7:30 p.m. yesterday and stood in line despite being bitten by mosquitoes. I can't wait to get back to my office and test out its features."
Meanwhile, Apple launched its latest smartphone lineup, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, in Korea on this day. South Korea was included among the initial launch countries alongside the United States, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, France, and a total of 65 nations.
Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series, Apple simultaneously released the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5. The iPhone Pro series is notable for being the first iPhone to feature a variable aperture on its 48MP Fusion main camera. Available colors include Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy. The iPhone Duo, the first foldable model in the iPhone series, is scheduled for release on the 23rd of next month, while the standard iPhone 18 is expected to launch in Korea in the first half of 2027.
in TECH
