Smartphones lead hike in high-end Imports

A short, but very interesting article in this morning's Joongang Daily is titled, "Smartphones lead hike in high-end imports."  According to the Korea Customs Service, imports of mobile phones surged by 149 percent last year to $137.04 million, largely due to smartphones.  The Apple iPhone, released in Korea late last year, was responsible for most of this effect, as 72 percent of the mobile phone imports occurred in the fourth quarter of last year.  Moreover, imports of mobile phones rose by another 369 percent in the first quarter of this year from the same period a year ago.
Growth in other high-end imports is shown in the accompanying graphic (click to see a full size version of the graphic).