Motorola making a comeback in South Korea after 8 years

Motorola is reportedly coming back to South Korea after leaving the market eight years ago. It was reported that it will be returning to fill the void left by the local smartphone maker LG Electronics after it pulled out from the business in July.

According to Korea Joongang Daily, Motorola Korea shut down its operation in S. Korea in 2013 and last month, it passed a conformity assessment test for its 5G-enabled mobile phones so it is ready to enter the Korean market again. The test was carried out by the state’s National Radio Research Agency and this is a requirement for all telecommunications devices that will be operated in the country.

The NRRA was said to have tested Motorola’s G50 5G phone unit which is its latest model that was unveiled just last month. At any rate, the Schaumburg, Illinois headquartered telecommunications company’s business in S. Korea has been limited to network gear as it shut down its operations in the country 8 years ago due to falling sales and restructuring as a result.

As LG is out of the picture in the smartphone business, it seems that Samsung will have more rivals because aside from Motorola, it was rumored that Google Korea is also planning to launch its mobile devices. Then again, the company was said to have declined to comment on the reports so it cannot be confirmed at this time.

"Samsung will likely take the majority of LG’s domestic market share, but it is worth paying attention to overseas brands’ entry, such as Google and Motorola,” a senior analyst at a research company, Liz Lee, said. “Their brand awareness is good among Korean consumers, but the key is whether they fully understand the country’s smartphone market and consumer preferences.”

Meanwhile, GizmoChina reported that HTC, a Taiwanese consumer electronics company, is also planning to re-enter the Korean market and sell its mid-range phones again. It is said to be ready to return after almost 10 years of hiatus.

Sources stated that HTC is obviously following the steps of Motorola that recently revealed its plan to enter S. Korea again. Currently, the Taiwanese firm is reportedly looking for sales and business development manager to help establish partnerships and create business strategies as it prepares to operate again in the territory.