Samsung Electronics delays re-start of Note 7 sales

Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Sunday it was delaying the start of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone sales in South Korea by three days to October 1, a move it says is needed for speedy completion of the ongoing recall in the country. Samsung announced on September 2, a recall of at least 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in 10 markets, including South Korea, due to a faulty battery causing the phones to catch fire, offering refunds or replacement devices using safe batteries. The firm hopes to complete the recall quickly and restart sales in the fourth quarter to salvage earnings, but the latest hitch in South Korea underscore continuing challenges in those efforts. Though product exchanges in South Korea began on Monday, only about 200,000 affected customers have turned in their devices.