Samsung Electronics shares open down as firm flags Galaxy Note problem

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares of South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> opened lower on Thursday as the firm flagged further supply problems for its new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone amid claims of battery explosions. Samsung said on Wednesday it halted shipments of the new phone to the top three South Korean carriers as it conducts additional quality tests. The world's top smartphone maker did not elaborate on whether shipments to other markets are being affected or what problems it is looking for. Shares of Samsung were trading down 2.4 percent as of 0006 GMT, compared with a 0.6 percent drop for the broader market <.KS11>. (Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Richard Pullin)