The focus of the mobile market of Korea is shifting from high-end smart phones priced at around 1 million won (US$880) to mid- to low-priced ones with advanced features.
This can be attributed to the implementation of the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act that has blocked top-of-the-line smartphones from being sold at low prices and caused users to pay attention to cheaper yet high-performance handsets.
An increasing number of less expensive phones are being found on the best seller list these days.
Under the circumstances, Korean mobile carriers are focusing on the marketing of such phones by raising their subsidies for those models up to the upper limit of 330,000 won (US$290) per unit, while not adjusting the subsidies for top-class smartphones such as the iPhone 6S and the Galaxy S6 Edge. This is to win over more customers with the mass-market phones they are looking for.