The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe handset for people who cross into classified areas in South Korea every shift: refinery and petrochemical-complex operators at Ulsan and Yeosu, shipyard tank engineers, and the HSE and telecoms teams who equip them. GS Caltex concentrates its refining and petrochemical plants at the Yeosu Complex, covering about 6 million square metres, with 800,000 barrels per stream day of capacity and Korea's largest heavy oil upgrading unit at 275,000 barrels a day. Distribution partners for South Korea are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. South Korea has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Protection concept | Flameproof (Ex d) or intrinsic safety (Ex i) | Intrinsic safety, level ib |
| Zone suitability | Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust | Design target for Zone 1 and 21 |
| Certificate | Number, issuing body and schedule of conditions | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | South Korea: Geoje, Ulsan, Yeosu | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in South Korea. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS South Korea market guide covers.
Ulsan is the industrial centre of the south-east, hosting the world's largest car assembly plant, the world's largest shipyard and the world's third-largest oil refinery, which makes it a dense mix of process and manufacturing hazards.
The country has no proven oil reserves; the Donghae-1 gas field produced between 2004 and 2021 and east-coast gas exploration started in 2024, so most hazardous-area work is downstream rather than upstream.
Thermal generation provides more than two thirds of electricity and nuclear power most of the rest; the first plant, Kori near Busan, opened in 1977, so large plant outages involve many contractors.
South Korea imports nearly all its oil and was the world's third-largest importer of liquefied natural gas in 2024, so LNG terminals and fuel storage are major classified-area sites.
“Explosion proof” is the phrase most buyers use for equipment that may be taken into a classified hazardous area. Strictly, it covers several protection concepts: a flameproof enclosure (Ex d) contains an internal explosion, while intrinsic safety (Ex i) limits electrical energy so that an ignition cannot start. Phones are normally intrinsically safe, because a flameproof handset would be too heavy to carry all shift.
The IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, with a marking target of Ex ib IIC T4, and is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued.
In South Korea. Explosion-proof is the phrase used for flameproof equipment in Korea, but the IS-04Z1 relies on intrinsic safety. Flameproof Ex d contains a blast inside a heavy enclosure, while intrinsic safety limits the energy in a handheld. At Ulsan or Geoje the distinction decides whether a phone can enter refinery or tank areas.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for South Korea. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
It is intrinsically safe (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), which is the usual way to make a phone for hazardous areas. It is not a flameproof (Ex d) design, and certification is still in progress.
The market guide for South Korea covers Ulsan, Yeosu, Daesan, Onsan, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for South Korea.
Ulsan has opened hydrogen charging stations and is developing a Green Hydrogen Town, so hydrogen gas groups may appear in new classified areas. Always check a device's gas group marking against the area classification drawing rather than assuming a general Zone 1 rating is enough.
Summers bring concentrated heavy rainfall and humidity, and winters can be cold, so look at the operating temperature range, water ingress rating and glove-friendly touch operation. Coastal sites at Ulsan also bring salt air, which can affect ports and contacts.
Android 16 carries both on one build, and operations at Korean sites run predominantly in Korean with English for international contractors and documentation. Check the language pack and the keyboard layout you require during an evaluation unit trial.
Related guides for South Korea and for South Korea.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.
