Samsung Smartphones For North Korean Olympians Violate Sanctions: South Korea

As the South Korean technology giant Samsung, being a major partner of Paris Olympic 2024, continues to distribute its newest Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones amongst the Olympians across all nations, the South Korean officials on Thursday flagged that the giving the smartphones to North Korean athletes would actually violate UN Security Council sanctions against the country over its nuclear and missile program.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the smartphones bound for the North Korean athletes reached the Olympic village. However, it was unclear what happened to them after that. The IOC didn't immediately provide more information. This time, North Korea sent 16 athletes to the Paris Games to compete in seven sports, including wrestling, swimming, table tennis and boxing.

Why smartphones would violate sanctions against North Korea?

While highlighting the diplomatic issue, South Korea's Foreign Ministry mentioned that smartphones were among the items banned under Security Council Resolution 2397 passed in 2017, which prohibited the supply, sale or transfer to North Korea of “all industrial machinery”.

The resolution doesn't make a distinction between North Korea's government and its people, and South Korean officials made clear the smartphones would be banned however they entered the country.

According to Lee Jaewoong, the foreign ministry spokesperson, it would be “critical to prevent the prohibited items from going into North Korea”.

He said the Seoul government was making “necessary diplomatic efforts” to ensure sanctions are upheld but refused to provide details.

Similar issue during 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea

Further validating the diplomatic tension between the two nations, the similar issue also surfaced during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

The North Koreans then refused to receive Samsung devices that the organizing committee had offered under condition that they return them before heading home, according to South Korean officials.

North Korea did not participate in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021 because of the country's self-imposed lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. The IOC then barred the country from participating in the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing as punishment for refusing to send a team to Tokyo.