The first cell phone related death in Korea was recorded yesterday when a man was found dead, presumably killed by the explosion of his LG cell phone’s battery which was stowed in his breast pocket.

According to TelecomsKorea, the man worked as a shovel operator at a quarry in the North Chungcheong Province, and was found dead on the job. The image of the exploded cell phone comes from YTN.

Sur, as the man was identified, was found dead by his shovel, bleeding from his nose; his cell phone battery was melted and soot covered his shirt pocket in the shape of his LG phone.

The autopsy found the man’s spine and ribs broken, and his heart and lungs punctured, which caused him to bleed to death internally.

This isn’t the first instance of a cell phone battery-related death; in June, a 22-year-old welder was killed in China by a cell phone.

This tragedy cannot bode well for LG as it is just debuting what it hopes to be an iPhone killer in the Voyager. Considering the effects the exploding battery had on the man’s body, there are probably more than a few people who would be hesitant to put a cell phone that could explode in their pants’ pockets.

Update: It has now been revealed that the man who found the deceased worker actually committed manslaughter by backing his excavator into the man carrying the LG phone; the phone is not responsible for the man’s death.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 at 8:57 pm under Cell phones.  Print This Post

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