Samsung limps on
South Korean electronics giant Samsung is set to announce the results of a probe into the Galaxy Note 7’s spontaneous combustibility. The company recalled the device in September after hundreds of phones caught fire, reducing quarterly profits by a third. The report, which will be released on Monday, is expected to blame irregularly sized batteries for the catastrophe.
Beyond exploding devices, the world’s largest smartphone maker has had a torrid six months. Two weeks ago, Chairman Lee Jae-yong was questioned for 22 hours by South Korean authorities over alleged connections to the woman believed to have illegally influenced President Park. Prosecutors allege Mr Lee made a $36 million payment to a company overseen by the woman in return for the approval of a 2015 merger. In a welcome reprieve for the embattled company, a panel of judges denied the request for an arrest warrant on Thursday.
The controversy is part of a wide-reaching political scandal that has seen President Park’s impeachment and embroiled South Korea’s culture minister and former UN Chief Ban Ki-moon’s brother (among many others).
If the scandal continues to unravel at this pace, exploding phones might be the least of Samsung’s worries.
