Apple Inc. said its iPhone service policy is in compliance with Korean customer-service regulations, and the company doesn’t plan to change its global service warranty policy for local customers after complaints.

“We been advised by our legal council and assured Apple’s one-year limited warranty also complies with the local Korean law,” Farrel Farhoudi, senior director for Apple’s iPhone service, told lawmakers in Seoul on Wednesday. “Apple is committed to following all local laws and regulations of Korea.”

Farhoudi was summoned after Korean buyers of the iPhone complained about Apple’s after-sales service in the country. A 13-year old user of the iPhone sued Apple’s Korean unit after Apple didn’t provide a free repair, the first lawsuit against the U.S. company related to its customer service in Korea, Yonhap News reported on Oct. 19. Steve Park, an Apple spokesman in Seoul, declined to comment on the report.

Apple has sold more than 1 million iPhones in Korea since the first model went on sale at the end of 2009, according to KT Corp., the exclusive provider of the device in the nation.

Earlier this year, Apple, based in Cupertino, California, said it will offer replacements for iPod Nano music players in Japan that overheat, following calls by the government to take measures to prevent the devices from catching fire. 

(Bloomberg)