Man victim of homicide, not exploding cell phone: Officials

"The co-worker confessed to us last (Thursday) night that he had actually hit him by accident and lied about the mobile phone exploding," said an official with the Cheongju Heungdeok police station, about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Seoul.

Police and a doctor who examined the body of a 33-year-old quarry worker had said on Thursday the victim was found dead with a burning mobile phone stuck to his chest and they were looking into whether he was killed by an exploding battery.

The co-worker confessed to police that he pinned the victim to a rock face while backing up a construction vehicle.

It is still not clear how the phone caught fire.

The victim, who was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital, had burns on his chest, fractured ribs and internal bleeding, the doctor said.