Samsung Electronic says a laptop battery melts

A worker cleans the sign hanging over the Samsung booth at the 2007 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 7, 2007. A battery in a Samsung Electronics Co Ltd notebook computer melted on Sunday, officials from the company and South Korea's fire department said.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A battery in a Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) notebook computer melted on Sunday, officials from the company and South Korea's fire department said.

The notebook battery emitted smoke after being used for about three and a half hours on a pillow, a fire department official in Seoul told Reuters by telephone.

The battery burned a bed and a floor a bit, but did not cause a big fire, he added.

A Samsung's spokesman said the notebook was the P10 model, which was produced in 2002 but did not give further details such as a producer of the battery.

"We are checking details of the incident," James Chung, the company spokesman, said by telephone.

Last month, a battery pack in a LG Electronics Inc's (066570.KS) notebook computer exploded while in the sleeping mode.

(Reporting by Cheon Jong-woo; Editing by Richard Hubbard)