Samsung Temporarily Halts Production of Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Electronics Co. has temporarily suspended production of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, an official at a supplier for Samsung said Monday, amid a series of media reports that some Note 7 replacements have caught fire.

    The halt is in cooperation with consumer safety regulators from South Korea, the United States and China, the official said on the condition of anonymity, South Korean News Agency (Yonhap) reported. "This measure includes a Samsung plant in Vietnam that is responsible for global shipments (of the Galaxy Note 7)," the official said. 

    Samsung started selling the Note 7 in South Korea on Aug. 19 but announced a global recall of 2.5 million units earlier last month following reports of some of the devices catching fire while being charged. Samsung has encouraged owners of the Note 7 to swap their devices with new ones, but media reports said some new Note 7s in the U.S. and Taiwan have also caught fire.