North Korean athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics have been provided with Samsung Electronics smartphones, raising concerns about potential sanctions violations.
According to the US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 8th, the North Korean National Olympic Committee (NOC) also received smartphones in bulk at the Samsung Olympic Experience Center within the athletes' village for their athletes. The issue is that electronic devices like smartphones are considered 'dual-use' products that can be repurposed for military use, and under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) North Korea sanctions resolution 2397, direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer to North Korea is prohibited.
On the 30th of last month (local time), at the 2024 Paris Olympic mixed doubles table tennis medal ceremony held at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin, who won the bronze medal, and North Korea's Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong, who won the silver medal, are taking a commemorative photo together on the podium with the Samsung Z Flip 6. [Image source=Yonhap News]
In fact, during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the Olympic Organizing Committee, concerned about sanctions violations, offered Samsung smartphones to North Korean athletes on the condition that they be returned before returning home, but North Korea refused to accept them altogether. Although the North Korea sanctions regulations have not changed since then, this time it appears that Samsung smartphones were provided to the North Korean athletes without any conditions.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) told RFA that "the North Korean NOC, like other National Olympic Committees, is not obligated to return the phones (before returning home)." The IOC has yet to respond to RFA's inquiry on whether providing smartphones to the North Korean athletes constitutes a violation of North Korea sanctions.
On the 6th (local time), at the Aquatic Center in Paris, France, during the women's 10m platform diving final of the 2024 Paris Olympics, North Korea's Kim Mirae (right), who won the bronze medal, looked embarrassed as she received a Galaxy smartphone from the host for a selfie ceremony at the awards ceremony. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, the IOC provided approximately 17,000 athletes participating in the Paris Olympics with the 'Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition,' a specially made smartphone by Samsung, the official Olympic sponsor. This edition is a 512GB model, in yellow color, engraved with the Olympic and Paralympic emblems and the Samsung logo.
It also includes a 100GB eSIM provided by Orange, the official mobile partner of the Paris Olympics, an 'in-app pass' that allows free use of Coca-Cola vending machines installed in the athletes' village, and a transportation card that offers unlimited use of public transportation around Paris. Foreign media praised this as "a marketing strategy far more effective than any advertisement."
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