Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top maker of smartphones, said Friday it has received security approval for its new Galaxy S4 smartphone from the U.S. Department of Defense, making it the first Korean smart device to earn such approval.

The winning of security approval indicates that Samsung is allowed to make a foray into the market for security-concerned U.S. defense agencies, which has been largely dominated by BlackBerry.

"The Galaxy S4 has won security approval from the U.S. Department of Defense," a senior official at Samsung Electronics said by phone, adding that the company is expected to receive written certification next week.

His remarks came as the Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the U.S. Department of Defense is expected to grant security approvals for Samsung's latest smartphones and Apple Inc.'s iPhones in coming weeks.

Samsung's latest Galaxy S4 was rolled out in South Korea on Friday for the first time in the world to compete against Apple's iPhone 5 and other rival smartphones. The company then released the Galaxy S4 in 60 countries including the U.S. and Britain the following day. (Yonhap News)