[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics has suspended TV commercials for the recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, with no deadline set for resumption, industry sources said on Sept. 13.

At the request of Samsung, the nation’s top three broadcasting stations -- KBS, MBC and SBS -- have decided to stop airing the commercials that will be replaced with those for the company’s other electronics products such as refrigerators and TVs.

Other cable TV channels are also not airing the commercials now. 

“It is unclear when the Note commercials will resume,” an official of a local TV station was quoted as saying by Herald Business.

Even before the phone’s Aug. 19 launch, Samsung had started an enormous ad campaign for the big-screen flagship phone. Cheil Worldwide, the advertising unit of Samsung Group, produced the ads.

The ad suspension is also expected to deal a blow to Cheil, which depends almost 65 percent of its revenue on Samsung companies, especially Samsung Electronics.

On Sept. 13, Cheil’s stock price closed at 15,050 won (US$13.55), down 0.66 percent from the previous trading day.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)