Mobile phone giant Samsung has closed production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after reports new devices it had deemed safe caught fire.
Samsung stated earlier it would halt sales of the phone globally to allow for further investigation and warned users to turn the devices off.
The company issued a regulatory statement in South Korea on Tuesday confirming it would close production of the device in the interests of consumer safety.
A Samsung spokesperson confirmed the production suspension announced on Monday will be “permanent”.
The company said: “Putting consumer safety as the top priority, we have reached a final decision to halt production of Galaxy Note 7s.”
Owners of the device – including those who were given a replacement device from an earlier recall – are expected to be offered a refund or exchange for a different Samsung device.
Last month Samsung issued a global recall for the 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7’s already shipped amid reports of batteries in the devices catching fire.
US officials are investigating at least five fire or overheating incidents reported since Samsung first recalled the devices in September.
Investigation authorities in South Korea have also uncovered a new product defect in the Note 7, but did not identify the issue.