Apple faces $260,000 collective lawsuit in South Korea over iPhone slowdown

By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo

Nearly 120 iPhone users here have filed a collective lawsuit against U.S. tech giant Apple and its Korean branch over the deliberate slowdown of their iPhones caused by controversial Apple software.

They filed a suit with the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday, each demanding 2.2 million won ($2,056) in compensation, the Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty, a consumer rights group representing the plaintiffs, said.

This is the first lawsuit of its kind in South Korea raised by the deliberate malfunction that has seen the Silicon Valley-based company hit with a torrent of criticism and lawsuits around the globe.

Apple admitted on Dec. 20 that it had deliberately slowed the performance of the iPhone 6, 6S and iPhone SE that had degraded batteries to “prevent the models from unexpectedly shutting down.” But critics say it was a technical gimmick aimed at encouraging users of aged iPhones to buy new models.

Haunnuri Law, a South Korean law firm, is accepting applications from people who want to join the lawsuit. So far, more than 370,000 people have expressed their intention to join.