Restructuring
Korea approved a restructuring plan in July 2026 involving Lotte Chemical's Yeosu operations and the Yeochun NCC integration.
Yeosu is a south coast city of about 269,000 people hosting a major refining and petrochemical complex. In November 2022 the company completed a 2.7 trillion won mixed feed cracker near the Yeosu No. 2 Complex, with annual capacity of 900,000 tonnes of ethylene and 500,000 tonnes of polyethylene. This page explains what to look for in an explosion proof mobile phone for Yeosu, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Yeosu: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. 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 | Yeosu: Refinery process units, Ethylene cracker and polymer plants, Chemical storage tank farms | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Yeosu. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Korea approved a restructuring plan in July 2026 involving Lotte Chemical's Yeosu operations and the Yeochun NCC integration.
A humid subtropical climate with heavy June to August rain.
Yeosu has a humid subtropical climate with very warm summers and cold winters, and from June to August more than 200 mm of rain falls each month.
GS Caltex is owned in equal shares by Chevron and GS Energy and was founded in 1967 as Korea's first private oil company, so it follows long-established corporate safety systems.
The company imports around 80 types of crude from about 30 countries and exported to 57 countries in 2022, so tanker and product shipping through the Yeosu coast is continuous.
The aromatics business started in 1990, with annual capacity of 3.0 million tonnes of aromatics and 180,000 tonnes of polypropylene, so benzene-type vapour hazards exist alongside fuel and olefin units.
“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 Yeosu. At a cracker and polymer complex, explosion-proof is loose shorthand. Flameproof Ex d protects fixed equipment, while a handheld phone around process units and tank farms depends on intrinsic safety. The IS-04Z1 is designed around that concept, with certification in progress and operator rules applying.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
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.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, ethylene cracker and polymer plants, chemical storage tank farms, marine loading jetties. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Refining units, a heavy-oil upgrading facility, an olefins cracker, aromatics and polypropylene plants together create flammable vapour and gas areas, including ethylene and aromatic hydrocarbons. The operator sets zones and gas groups, so ask for classification drawings before bringing devices.
The city has an industrial port coast and rail and road links to Gwangju and other Korean cities, so delivery is feasible, though customs and approvals take time for imported electronics. Confirm lead times with your forwarder and the site's gate rules.
It may. A restructuring plan involving Lotte Chemical's Yeosu operations was approved, and its status could change. Procurement and HSE contacts may be in transition. Confirm requirements with the site operator before sending any documents.
More on Yeosu, and on other places in 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.