Samsung and South Korean government to announce Galaxy Note 7 investigation results soon - Report

Samsung and the South Korean government are expected to soon announce the results of their investigation into what caused the Galaxy Note 7 to catch fire.

The company had asked the US-based safety organisation UL to find out the root cause of the fire after it halted the sales of the Note 7. It announced a recall for the second time on 2 September after conducting a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.

The Korea Testing laboratory (KTL) launched a separate investigation into the components used in the Note 7.

The announcement about the investigation is expected on 10 January or by the end of the month, sources close to the matter told Yonhap news agency. KTL is likely to announce the final results of the probe despite separate investigations by the two agencies. KTL and UL are reported to be finalising the details.

"We have not yet confirmed the outcome of UL's investigation," a KTL official told Yonhap.

The South Korean government and Samsung have reportedly concluded the fire was not due to battery malfunction.

According to industry watchers, finding the exact cause of the Note 7's problem is crucial for Samsung to regain consumers' trust before the company launches its next Galaxy S series premium smartphone, the Galaxy S8 in April.

"Samsung Electronics must transform itself after learning an expensive lesson last year," Kwon Oh-hyun, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Samsung, said on Monday (2 January).

The South Korean government said it would strengthen its safety measures to prevent such problems. "The government is preparing a revision to safety regulations to prevent a similar accident from occurring," said a government official.