SEOUL, Sep. 22, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- South Korea's telecom watchdog said Tuesday it will make a final decision later this week on whether to approve the arrival of iPhones in the country.

According to the Korea Communications Committee, the decision will be made at the standing committee's Wednesday meeting, whose result is not guaranteed at the moment according to its high- ranking official.

"We will try our best to permit the iPhone within the limits of the law," the official said.

KT Corp., the nation's No. 2 mobile provider, has been seeking an exclusive right to sell Apple's worldwide-hit iPhone in the local market.

South Korean law, however, came in the way of Apple and KT's moves as it does not permit smartphones with location-base services (LBS), such as "Google Map" and "Find my iPhone."

KT plans to sell iPhones in the country next month, if Apple wins final approval from the regulator, the company said.