Anchor: Samsung Electronics says battery defects are officially to blame for its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones catching fire. While saying it feels strongly responsible for failing to stem the problem early on, the firm has vowed to place top priority on safety from the very planning stage of smartphones. 
Bae Joo-yon has more.
 
Report: Samsung Electronics says it found out that flaws associated with the batteries are what caused many of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to explode.

The tech giant said in a news conference in Seoul on Monday that it reached the conclusion after conducting tests on the model, whose production has been permanently stopped as of last October. 
 
The firm said the tests on 200-thousand Note 7s and 30-thousand batteries found that two types of batteries caused the phones to ignite, each for different reasons. In the first supplier's battery, Samsung said a design flaw caused the battery to short-circuit. In the case of the second supplier, the defect was related to the battery’s manufacturing. 

Batteries produced by Samsung SDI and China’s ATL are believed to have been used in the Note 7s.

The company said their finding also coincides with assessments made by independent investigations. Three foreign safety certification agencies assessed that the Note 7 caught fire due to battery defects. The agencies found no problem in the body of the device despite some industry sources pointing to the design of the phone or its software as possible reasons for the phones catching fire. 
 
Koh Dong-jin, the head of Samsung's mobile business division, said he strongly feels responsible for failing to thoroughly verify the batteries used in the Galaxy Note 7, saying it is not fair to pin the blame solely on partner companies.

Vowing to place top priority on safety when making smartphones, the firm said it will introduce an eight-step battery testing procedure that includes safety and durability checks. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.