The South Korean government is doing everything in its power to charge Apple with 'something' of late. On November 23 Patently Apple posted a report titled "South Korean Authorities have Raided Apple's Offices Prior to the Launch of iPhone X in their Country." A month later we posted another report titled "Korean Government Continues to Harass Apple with yet another Investigation into Infringing KAIST Processor Technology." The Korean tech press was also screaming for a recall of the iPhone 8 before it ever landed in South Korea. Now the Korean broadcasting and telecom regulator is breathing down Apple's neck.

In a new Korean tech report posted today we learn that the Korean broadcasting and telecom regulator has formally sought an explanation from Apple on allegations that it tried to defraud customers by deliberately slowing down devices without warning.

the Korea Communications Commission stated that "We are hoping to get some answers on whether Apple intentionally restricted the performance of old iPhones and tried to hide this from customers."

The report further noted that the "KCC has no jurisdiction over Apple, which is categorized as a multinational firm. It cannot launch an official probe and can only seek an explanation at the most." 

So why is the KCC doing it all so publicly then? Right, it's political and just part of a larger concerted campaign to smear Apple. The Korean tech press made no bones about it a year ago that it's over the recall of Samsung's Note 7 last year. They blamed the U.S. Government for forcing the recall as a protectionist move to protect Apple.

While the KCC has no jurisdiction over Apple today, the Korean report noted that the "Korean lawmakers are proposing law revisions to regulate overseas-based tech firms such as Apple." 

It should also be noted that Korea's FTC is investigating Wireless Carrier complaints about Apple's Unfair Advertising Policies and for forcing carriers to pay for a new computer system.

Being under constant government harassment, you have to give it to Apple for staying cool and pushing forward with the opening of their first Apple Store in Seoul sometime in the coming weeks.

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