Apple's iPhone 5 to hit S. Korea next week

South Korea's two biggest mobile carriers -- SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp. -- said Friday they plan to release the long-awaited iPhone 5 in the local market next week. 

SK Telecom and KT tweeted they plan to start receiving pre-orders for the Apple device starting at 10 p.m. and officially launch the phone on Dec. 7.

The move comes nearly three months after the U.S. smartphone maker, which is facing off against Samsung Electronics Co. in a global patent war, unveiled its first smartphone that runs on the fourth-generation long-term evolution (LTE) network.

While the iPhone 5 has hit shelves around the world, its release in South Korea had been delayed, as the country was not included in the company's first batch of markets to release the latest iPhone.

Meanwhile, the two mobile carriers said earlier in the day that they have started selling LTE-backed iPad mini devices, a compact and lighter version of Apple's iPad line-up.

KT said in a statement that subscribers can purchase the tablet computer at its online mall and two designated stores in downtown Seoul. 

SK Telecom, meanwhile, wrote on its Twitter account that the device will first only be available at its online store due to a supply shortage.

(Yonhap News)