North Korean Olympians' Samsung Smartphones May Have Gone Missing

Samsung smartphones provided to North Korean Olympic athletes may have gone missing during the 2024 Paris Games.

On Thursday, South Korean officials alerted the U.N. Security Council that Samsung smartphones, provided to all Olympic athletes living in the Olympic Village, could violate sanctions placed against North Korea.

Samsung, a South Korean technology company, is a major partner of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones were sent to all athletes living in the Olympic Village. However, the IOC later said that members of the North Korean Olympic team had not received the smartphones.

"We can confirm that the athletes of the NOC [National Olympic Committee] of DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] have not received the Samsung phones," the IOC said in a statement to Newsweek.

It is currently unclear where the Samsung smartphones may have ended up. Newsweek asked the IOC for more information on if they sent the phones to the North Korean athletes.

The notice by South Korean officials on the phones potentially violating sanctions relates to the 2017 Security Council Resolution 2397, which bans the sale or transfer of "all industrial machinery," to North Korea, including the Samsung smartphones.

Members of the delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. On Aug. 8, 2024, the... Members of the delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. On Aug. 8, 2024, the International Olympic Committee said that North Korean Olympic athletes had not received Samsung smartphones sent to all athletes living in the Olympic Village. More HU HUHU/POOL/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong said that it's "critical to prevent the prohibited items from going into North Korea."

Jaewoong added that the South Korean government is making "necessary diplomatic efforts" to enforce the sanctions against its neighbor to the North.

The Security Council Resolution 2397 draws no distinction between North Korea's regime and its citizens. South Korean officials emphasized that the smartphones would be prohibited regardless of how they entered the country.

A similar incident occurred during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. North Korean Olympic athletes were told they could received the Samsung smartphones while competing in The Games, but were required to give them back before returning to North Korea.

Due to this condition, the North Korean athletes refused to take the phones during the 2018 Olympic Games.

In the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, North Korea currently has 16 athletes competing in sports including swimming, table tennis, wrestling and boxing.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are the first to have athletes from North Korea since 2018. The country was not involve in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games due to lockdown measures imposed by the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, North Korea was prohibited from competing in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games by the IOC, after they did not compete in the 2020 games.

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