The South Korean military is considering a ban on iPhones in military buildings due to security concerns. The ban could impact nearly 500,000 military personnel and has been discussed at meetings by the Army, Navy, and Air Force headquarters.
The issue arises from Apple’s strict privacy controls, which prevent third-party apps from restricting an iPhone’s inherent functions like the microphone and USB access. This clashes with the military’s National Defense Mobile Security app requirements.
The Korean Herald cited an internal Air Force document stating, “Bringing in iPhones will be completely prohibited” from June 1st. In contrast, Android smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy series would be exempt as they allow the security app to control nearly all functions.
The ban could impact hundreds of thousands of personnel. If implemented, the ban would initially take effect at the tri-service headquarters in Gyeryongdae and potentially extend to all 499,800 active military personnel across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The headquarters alone has around 10,000 staff that could be impacted immediately.
The Air Force document stated, “It’s inevitable to block any kind of voice recording…including private phone calls within military buildings.” This explains the driving security motivation.
Sources claim the military began trial runs of the iPhone prohibition for Army units in April. An Air Force announcement on April 11 signalled formal extension plans. The military is also considering expanding soldiers’ permitted smartphone use windows from the current 6pm-9 pm to 6am-9pm.
The root of the problem is the National Defense Mobile Security app, which all military devices must install to restrict smartphone capabilities like the camera, Wi-Fi, tethering, and microphone to prevent data leaks. However, Apple’s tight privacy controls mean the app cannot disable an iPhone’s microphone, USB functions, or other hardware except for the camera. In contrast, it can fully control hardware on Android operating systems.
This prompted concerns last September when a call-recording app for iPhones launched in Korea, catching the military’s attention due to voice privacy risks. The report cited military sources claiming the headquarters sees iPhone’s lack of compliance as necessitating a comprehensive prohibition at key security facilities like Gyeryongdae that houses the service branch commands.
There were previous stricter policies at the elite Joint Chiefs of Staff that banned the use of smartphones in its headquarters. However, the policy changed in 2020 when a security app became mandatory for personnel. Recently, the National Human Rights Commission reviewed the policy and ruled that requiring all personnel to install the security app is excessive. They recommended that it be limited to essential staff and specific locations only.
