IPHONES are no longer welcome within the premises of South Korea’s military but Android phones such as the homegrown Samsung are exempted.
The decision to ban iPhones was reportedly initiated by the Air Force headquarters after a joint meeting with the Army and Navy.
The ban focuses less on security concerns but rather on the effectiveness of current mobile device management measures.
The questions raised during the recent meeting sparked concerns about potential security breaches through voice recordings.
Concerns by the military personnel stemmed from worries about limitations in third-party app controls and uncontrolled voice recording capabilities.
In an internal memo released on April 11, the Air Force issued a complete ban on any device capable of voice recording that does not permit third-party apps to control inherent functions, such as iPhones.
Aside from smartphones, the ban also covers the Apple watch.
The order instructed voice recordings to be blocked within military premises in situations including formal communications, meetings, office conversations, business announcements, public complaints and consultations, and even in informal communications such as private phone calls.
The iPhone ban will take effect on the 1st of June and could expand to other military units across South Korea.
