The coronavirus outbreak is proving to be a major obstacle in the tech world. Just yesterday, the GSMA announced that it was canceling this year's Mobile World Congress over coronavirus fears, following the decision of many companies, including Samsung, to reduce their presence at the trade show. Samsung even temporarily shut down its flagship Experience Store in China as a precaution against the outbreak.
Now, it seems Korean carriers are following suit and have cancelled plans to hold launch ceremonies for the Galaxy S20 series. The Korea Herald reports that SK Telecom and KT Corp, two of the three big South Korean network operators, have decided to focus on online marketing and on providing more benefits to pre-order customers in an attempt to sell as many Galaxy S20 smartphones as possible. LG Uplus, the third big Korean carrier, on the other hand, had already decided that it would no longer hold launch events for new smartphones from 2020.
Sales of the Galaxy S20, however, are not going to be affected, as Samsung is no longer manufacturing phones in China. Some of its semiconductor components, such as memory chips, do get made in the country, but the company is reportedly keeping those production facilities going despite the outbreak. The Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra will go on sale in Korea on March 6, the same day that they go on sale in the US and many other countries, while the Galaxy Z Flip will be available starting tomorrow.
