Samsung recalls the Galaxy Note 7 amid battery fears

Samsung has "paused" sales of its brand-new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and is offering replacements for anyone who has already purchased one, amid battery fear.

Koh Dong-jin, head of the company's smartphone business, spoke at a news conference on Friday - just over two weeks since the premium device's launch, following reports of the phone explosion while charging.

The executive, who declined to comment on the number of phones needing replacement, said Samsung had sold 2.5 million of the premium devices so far. The company plans to replace not only phones with faulty batteries sold to consumers, but also retailer inventories and units in transit.

The Korean electronics conglomerate also said it will voluntarily replace every Note 7 already in the market "over the coming weeks." Further details on the recall and on the replacement program are not yet known.