“The mobile phone in my pocket suddenly heated up intensely, causing it to swell up. When I took it out, smoke was pouring out from a crack in the phone. There was more smoke than I expected, and the smell was unpleasant.” (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
CHEONAN/UIJEONGBU, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – In a bizarre incident that unfolded on the morning November 30, a 17-year-old high school sophomore residing in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, found himself at the center of attention when his iPhone 13 unexpectedly swelled up, emitting smoke.
The incident, captured on video, quickly went viral on social media, amassing over 10 million views. The footage, posted with the caption “Phone battery explodes. Smoke, crazy smell,” has raised concerns about the safety of lithium batteries.
According to reports from Yonhap News and other media outlets, while the phone emitted smoke for two minutes, it did not catch fire, and no one was injured. The swift response of school authorities, opening windows for ventilation and evacuating students, ensured a prompt resolution to the potential hazard.
In a conversation with Yonhap News, the high school student, who wished to remain anonymous, shared his account of the incident. “The mobile phone in my pocket suddenly heated up intensely, causing it to swell up. When I took it out, smoke was pouring out from a crack in the phone. There was more smoke than I expected, and the smell was unpleasant,” he explained.
While the phone emitted smoke for two minutes, it did not catch fire, and no one was injured. (Image courtesy of the high schooler’s Instagram account)
Apple Korea has responded to the incident by committing to exchange the problematic device with a new iPhone 13 of the same model. This raises broader questions about the safety and potential risks associated with lithium batteries, which power a wide array of modern devices.
In various online forums, users shared diverse reactions, expressing worries about the potential risks associated with inhaling smoke from burning lithium batteries. Some commented, “Inhaling the smoke produced when a lithium battery burns can be fatal,” while others were startled by the visual impact, noting, “At first, I thought it was dry ice, but seeing the screen turning yellow gave me chills.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
