Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fallout: South Korea To Strengthen Battery Safety Measures

The South Korean government will strengthen its safety measures related to smartphone batteries in order to avoid incidents similar to those involving some Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices, sources told Yonhap news agency Tuesday. The report comes days after Samsung Electronics completed its investigation into why its 2016 flagship device kept overheating and catching fire.

According to sources, the state-run Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) will announce a set of measures and release the results of its investigation into what caused Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices to catch fire sometime next week. The laboratory is also conducting a separate investigation into the components that were responsible for the devices igniting.

"The government is preparing a revision to safety regulations to prevent a similar accident from occurring," a South Korean government official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

Recently, after a months-long probe, Samsung said that faulty batteries were the main reason behind the Note 7 devices' explosions, and that the smartphones' hardware design and software were to be blamed. However, the tech giant also said that additional investigations need to be conducted to find out the root cause of the explosions.

The Note 7 ordeal has cost Samsung an estimated $5 billion, as the company was forced to recall millions of the devices worldwide over safety concerns.

Last week, Samsung CEO DJ Koh detailed the results of Samsung’s internal investigation on the Galaxy Note 7, and similar findings by representatives from three independent organizations, UL, Exponent and TUV Rheinland were also revealed.

However, the South Korean company is expected to move forward with the release of its 2017 flagships, including the Galaxy S8, which is likely to be unveiled in March.