Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it is offering a special upgrade program for owners of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in South Korea who swap the fire-prone device for the Galaxy S7 or the S7 Edge smartphone.

The program allows South Korean owners of the Note 7 who exchange the device for the S7 or the S7 Edge smartphone to upgrade the replacements to either a Galaxy S8 smartphone or a Note 8 phablet, Samsung said in a statement.

Note 7 customers will pay about the half the price of the S7 or the S7 Edge until they exchange the replacements with either an S8 or a Note 8. The S8 smartphone is scheduled to be released in February or March next year and the Note 8 phablet is expected to be launched in August or September next year.

The upgrade program in South Korea will be carried out by the end of November.

Samsung is expected to announce similar upgrade programs in other countries.

An official at Samsung said the program is aimed at "lightening the burden" for those who swap their Note 7s for the S7 or the S7 Edge.

The Samsung official also urged owners of the Note 7 to swiftly exchange their devices for other smartphones. (Yonhap)