The Korea Herald reported that several military officials said the South Korean military is considering a complete ban on the use of Apple cellphones on military installations. The military is concerned about classified information leaking through recordings.

South Korean Air Force Headquarters posted an internal announcement on the military’s intranet server on April 11, saying that starting June 1, all devices that can record and do not allow third-party apps to control the iPhone’s built-in functions will be removed. It was completely banned. The banned devices include various smart watches and portable devices.

Android-based smartphones (mostly from Samsung) are still available. The iPhone is disabled because Apple does not allow third-party apps to control the iPhone’s built-in features. Defense Mobile Security, a mobile device management program used by the South Korean military, restricts some smartphone functions, including camera, Wi-Fi, network connections, USB functions, and microphones.

The internal bulletin states that all recordings should be blocked, including not only official communications such as meetings, business negotiations, announcements, complaints and opinion polls, but also unofficial communications such as private telephone conversations (on military premises).

South Korea’s military headquarters has been testing this ban since April. If the ban is extended, it would extend to all other South Korean forces and affect approximately 500,000 South Korean soldiers. (ithome note: South Korea’s total military strength is 499,800, of which 365,000 are in the Army, 69,800 in the Navy, and 65,000 in the Air Force).

Currently, South Korean soldiers entering compulsory military service can use their smartphones every day between 18.00 and 21.00. The South Korean Ministry of Defense announced that it will gradually increase the time soldiers can use smartphones. Use your smartphones maximum between 6.00 in the morning and 21.00 in the evening. Soldiers with Android phones will be able to use their phones for a long time in military buildings.

However, this security application of the South Korean army was criticized for being unreliable. For different versions of Android systems, the functions that the application can limit are also different. A military official said the issue could be resolved with a future software update.

South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission determined that requiring security practices for all military personnel at every location was an excessive restriction on human rights and recommended that the scope of mandatory practices be limited to necessary personnel and locations.