Mixed reports from Korea on Samsung Galaxy S5 shipments as leukaemia victim talks stall

There are mixed reports in the South Korean press about the early progress of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, while the electronics giant is denying responsibility for talks with the families of leukaemia victims stalling.

According to the Electronics Times News, Samsung only made half as many Galaxy S5s in its first production run as it had Galaxy S4s and S3s.

This is despite the device shipping for a simultaneous launch in 125 countries, compared to just 60 for its predecessor.

While Samsung is officially claiming pre-order sales of 10 million units from carriers, the company was only able to supply 3 million units from its first production run.

However, the Korea Times reports Samsung claims it has received 1.3 times as many orders for the Galaxy S5 as it had for its predecessor, the S4, with demand doubling in some European markets.

The report notes Samsung expects to ship 35 million units in the second quarter of this year.

The news comes as the Korea Herald reports the electronics giant is rejecting blame for talks with families of former semiconductor plant employees who died of leukaemia.

An activist group named SHARP, which includes the families of victims, had issued a joint statement with centre-left opposition Justice Party representative Sim Sang-jung demanding the tech giant negotiate over possible compensation for victims.