Sources say South Korea's military will ban Apple iPhones due to 'security' concerns

On April 24, the Korea Herald reported that multiple military sources revealed on Tuesday that the South Korean military is considering a complete ban on the use of Apple mobile phones in military buildings. The military is worried about sensitive information passing through. The recording leaked. The South Korean Air Force Headquarters issued an internal announcement on the military intranet server on April 11, stating that starting from June 1, any device capable of recording and not allowing third-party applications to control inherent functions will be completely banned. , the military will completely ban the carrying of iPhones, and the banned devices also include various smart watches and wearable devices. Android-based smartphones (mainly Samsung smartphones) can still be used. iPhones are disabled because Apple doesn't allow third-party apps to control the iPhone's native functionality. Defense Mobile Security, a mobile device management program used by the South Korean military, restricts several smartphone functions, including the camera, Wi-Fi, network connections, USB functions and microphones. The internal announcement states that any form of recording is to be blocked, including not only formal communications such as meetings, office conversations, announcements, and complaints and inquiries from the public, but also informal communications (in military buildings) such as private phone calls. South Korea’s Army Headquarters has been trialling the ban since April. If the ban is expanded to cover all other South Korean forces, it will affect nearly 500,000 South Korean service members. (Note: The total number of South Korean military personnel is 499,800, including 365,000 in the Army, 69,800 in the Navy, and 65,000 in the Air Force.) Currently, South Korean soldiers serving compulsory military service can use smartphones from 6 pm to 9 pm every day, The South Korean Ministry of National Defense announced that it will gradually expand the time during which soldiers can use smartphones. In the future, the maximum time can be from 6 am to 9 pm. Soldiers using Android phones will have the opportunity to use their phones for a long time in military buildings. However, this security application of the South Korean military has been criticized for being unreliable. For different versions of Android systems, the functions that the application can restrict are also different. A military official said the issue may be resolved in a subsequent software update. While South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission ruled that mandating the installation of security apps for all military personnel in every location was an excessive restriction on human rights, they also recommended limiting the scope of mandatory app installation to necessary personnel and locations.

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