Samsung already planning legal action against Apple when iPhone 5 enters Korea

Apple's been successful at blocking some of Samsung's latest devices in parts of the E.U., and as such, Samsung plans to take similar measures of its own when the iPhone 5 releases.

Sources inside the Korean electronics firm indicated to the Korea Times that the company plans to immediately take Apple to court as soon as the Cupertino, CA-based company releases the iPhone 5 in Korea.

An anonymous Samsung senior executive said, "Just after the arrival of the iPhone 5 here, Samsung plans to take Apple to court here for its violation of Samsung’s wireless technology related patents. For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights."

In late May, Samsung filed a discovery motion against Apple, seeking to see the still unannounced and unreleased iPhone 5 and iPad 3, because the company's lawyers wanted to evaluate any similarities in order to prepare for possible legal action from Apple.

In reality, it was a snarky response to Apple's request to see several already-announced Samsung products. A judge later denied the motion.

Samsung also told the Korea Times that the iPhone 5 will add near-field communication (NFC), which would allow e-wallet functionality. There have been rumors rampant about Apple adding the feature to the next-gen iPhone, but Apple itself has not said anything about NFC.

Google recently added NFC to its latest handsets, including the Samsung Nexus S. Google officially launched its previously announced Wallet service on Monday.

The legal battles between the two companies began in April of this year, and have since spanned across several countries. Ironically, Samsung is not just a rival of Apple, it's also a key supplier.