Korean store finds swollen iPhone 8

A Korean smartphone retailer on Thursday reported that a new iPhone 8 smartphone produced by U.S. tech giant Apple was found to have a seemingly swollen battery, causing concerns about safety.

There have been a number of reports related to battery-swelling problems surrounding Apple’s new flagship smartphone since its global release in September. The iPhone 8 was launched in the Korean market earlier this month.

“We found that a battery was swollen after opening a new product,” a retailer from Korea’s southern port city of Busan said. The product of concern was a gold-colored 64-gigabyte iPhone 8. It marks the first time that the battery problem has been found in Korea.

Last year, Samsung Electronics suspended production of the Galaxy Note7 smartphone due to reports of its battery catching fire around the globe.

YONHAP