[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is considering banning Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on flights following its global recall on exploding batteries.

A ministry official said on Sept. 8 that the ministry plans to meet Samsung officials to be briefed on possible risks of the phone being carried onboard flights. 

“We will make a decision as soon as possible but nothing has been decided yet,” the official said.

Industry watchers predict a decision could come before the Chuseok holiday next week when demand for air travel is expected to surge.

The possible ban comes as other countries such as the US are mulling a similar measure after a few Note phones caught fire while charging.

On Sept. 2, Samsung announced it was recalling all 2.5 million Note phones, including inventories secured by telecom carriers, globally, citing faulty batteries as the cause of the accidents.

Some airlines such as Qantas and Virgin Australia are also telling passengers not to use or charge the Note phone during flights, making on-board announcements ahead of departure.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)