Galaxy Watch's alarm of abnormal heartbeat gets approval in S.Korea

Samsung Electronics Co.'s new feature on the Galaxy Watch, which detects heartbeats and alerts the possibility of risks such as arrhythmia, can now be used in South Korea as well.

South Korean electronic giant announced on Thursday that its health monitor app's irregular heart rhythm notification (IHRN) feature, following its approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in May, has also obtained approval from the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

IHRN feature will be included in the upcoming Galaxy Watch model to be released in the second half of the year and will initially be supported in 13 global markets, including South Korea and the US. It is planned to be expanded to the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 series through software updates.

IHRN is detected through the Galaxy Watch's bioactive sensor. When a Galaxy Watch with this feature continuously detects the user's irregular heartbeats, it identifies it as an abnormal sign and provides an alert message on the watch display indicating the possibility of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia where the heartbeats are irregular and can be a cause of various heart conditions, including blood clots, stroke and heart failure.

Samsung Electronics said that the irregular heart rhythm notification feature, along with the existing blood pressure monitoring, electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement and heart rate monitoring functions supported by the Galaxy Watch, will provide more meaningful information about cardiovascular health.

The company currently offers health management services to users in 74 markets through the Samsung Health Monitor app, enabling them to measure blood pressure and perform ECG measurements.

Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at hjs@hankyung.com