Apple to reopen its sole branded store in South Korea on April 18

• "South Korea has shown great progress during the spread of COVID-19 and we're excited to announce the re-opening of Apple Garosugil," the company said.

Apple Inc said on Thursday it would reopen its sole retail store in South Korea on April 18, marking it the first site to return to business after it closed all stores outside Greater China last month due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Once struggling with the first large outbreak outside China, South Korea has largely managed to bring its coronavirus cases under control without major disruptions thanks to a massive testing campaign and intensive contact tracing.

"South Korea has shown great progress during the spread of COVID-19 and we're excited to announce the re-opening of Apple Garosugil," the company said.

The iPhone maker reopened all 42 of its branded stores in China in March, more than a month after they were shut in the wake of the pandemic.

"A focus for the store will be service and support at the Genius Bar," the company said.

"For customers who want to make a purchase, we have several options including ordering online for delivery or pick up in store."

Apple's plan of reopening the store in Seoul comes a day after it released a smaller iPhone priced at $399, to broaden its appeal to budget-conscious customers as the COVID-19 pandemic hobbles the global economy.