S Korean government vows more oversight after Note 7 investigation
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The South Korean government on Monday vowed to strengthen safety requirements for lithium-ion batteries as it revealed its findings from an investigation into the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone fires.
Samsung in October terminated the premium handset after several devices around the world caught fire. The embarrassing debacle cost the South Korean group more than $5bn.
In a high-profile, live-streamed event, the company last month explained that the “incidents” were caused by design and manufacturing faults in the devices’ batteries
That explanation was echoed on Monday by the government-affiliated Korea Testing Laboratory, which said it found no other root causes.
Following the results, the Ministry of Trade announced that manufacturers of lithium ion batteries would receive greater oversight, while devices would be subject to enhanced safety checks.
Samsung’s efforts to improve battery safety would also be closely monitored, it said.
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