As reported in the Joongang Ilbo today, the number of Korean handsets manufactured outside of Korea now exceeds the number being manufactured domestically. Last year 58 percent of the 354.8 million handsets that were shipped by Korean mobile phone manufacturers were made abroad, the first time that overseas production exceeded that of domestic production. (see the accompanying graphic. Click on it to view a full-size version)Korean companies, led by Samsung and LG, have been increasing their overseas production to lower costs and increase production capacity. Samsung, for example, is manufacturing handsets in China, Vietnam, India and Brazil, while LG is doing so in India and Brazil.
On a concluding note, the Apple iPhone 3GS I'm currently using is "Made in China."