[Anchor]

As cracks appearing on the screens of Apple's newly released foldable phone are being reported from various places, Apple has unusually acknowledged the defect. It has decided to replace the affected units free of charge once the problem is verified.

Reporter Hong Yeongjae has the details.

[Reporter]

A video shows a bewildered user reacting after their display cracked within just a few hours of purchasing Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo.

As photos and videos of broken screens flooded in right after the launch, sparking a global controversy dubbed "Crackgate," Apple finally released an official statement.

"We are aware of an issue affecting the inner display in a small number of iPhone Duo products," the company stated, announcing that it would provide free replacements for defective units.

It is highly unusual for Apple to officially acknowledge a defect just three days after releasing a new product.

This is interpreted as an assessment that the issue is severe, though the company did not disclose the cause of the defect.

Having entered the market late compared to competitors like Samsung Electronics, which released its foldable phone seven years ago, the move appears intended to preemptively quell the spread of quality controversies right from the initial launch stage.

[Hong Yong-taek / Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University: If early users keep talking about defects, things won't go as originally intended. So offering a quick apology, rapidly exchanging products, and internally strengthening quality control is likely for that purpose.]

[Kang Ji-hoon / Paju, Gyeonggi Province: (Apple's response) is not bad. Since it's their first foldable, as long as they handle the service and things well, I think it's fine.]

On secondhand trading platforms, there were many listings of unopened products hastily secured and put up for sale with a premium of over 500,000 won. Now, listings priced lower than the official retail price are gradually increasing one by one.

With possibilities currently being raised that the issue may lie in the hinge where the screen folds, some analysts suggest that if demand for product replacements grows, domestic component suppliers providing screens and other parts could reap indirect benefits.

(Video reporting: Seol Chi-hwan | Video editing: Lim Yeojin | Design: Dayoung)