He was told the usual: laws, security, geopolitics. But then he stumbled across something odd – an old post claiming someone had tracked their AirPods using Find My on Baengnyeong Island, a remote Korean territory. If the feature was illegal under Korean law, he thought, why did it work there? […] users were able to find lost backpacks, wallets and AirPods for the first time, along with some long-overdue peace of mind.
Samsung is responsible for almost a quarter of South Korea’s GDP, that is gigantic, they have a huge influence over the government.
Who knows what deals Apple and Samsung had made? This could absolutely be something they negotiated.