Apple Inc.'s iPhone 12 models have drawn a keen response in South Korea, with sales of the newest models estimated to be some 600,000 here since their launch late last month, industry sources said Monday, almost on par with the feat of Samsung Electronics Co.'s flagship models.

The country's three major carriers -- SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- are estimated to have sold around 500,000 iPhone 12 series models since Oct. 30, according to the sources.

Considering that unlocked models usually account for 15 to 20 percent of total iPhone sales, iPhone 12 series sales in the country have likely reached 600,000 over the past month, the sources said.

Apple released the iPhone 12 and the 12 Pro here late last month and the 12 mini and the 12 Pro Max on Nov. 20.

The sales of the iPhone 12 models are a 20 percent improvement from the previous iPhone 11 models, according to the sources.

The sales record matches the country's best-selling smartphone lineup this year -- Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S20 series -- that reached 500,000 in sales from the three carriers a month after their launch in March this year. Samsung has so far sold around 2 million Galaxy S20 series devices this year.

The new iPhones are Apple's first smartphones to support the 5G network.

"While Samsung had been solely responsible for the 5G market, the iPhone will now likely vitalize the market," an industry official said.

South Korea's 5G users stood at 9.25 million as of end-September, prior to the launch of the iPhone 12 models, accounting for 13 percent of the total 70 million mobile subscriptions, government data showed.

Analysts have forecast the country's 5G subscribers to reach over 11 million by the end of this year. (Yonhap)