IOC Confirms North Korea Didn’t Get Samsung Galaxy Phones

Concerns arose about a potential violation of UN sanctions against North Korea when its national athletes were suspected of receiving Samsung Galaxy smartphones at the Paris Olympics. However, an official statement released on Thursday dismissed these concerns.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially stated yesterday that the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (NOC of DPRK) did not receive Samsung smartphones.

In response to News1‘s email inquiry on whether the NOC of DPRK received Samsung smartphones and whether the IOC planned to take recovery actions due to potential violations of UN sanctions, the IOC confirmed, “We confirm that the North Korean team did not receive Samsung mobile phones.”

The controversy started when the U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, citing an IOC official, that the NOC of DPRK received Samsung smartphones intended for other national teams.

Samsung Electronics, a major official sponsor of the IOC, has distributed its specially-made newest Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones and cases to over 17,000 athletes participating in the Paris Games.

After the report, the South Korean government raised concerns about the potential violation of UN sanctions. All electronic devices are prohibited from being supplied, sold, or transferred to North Korea under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397, enacted in 2017.

This resolution prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of electrical equipment classified under HS Code 85 (the international harmonized system for product classification) to North Korea. This restriction aims to prevent North Korea from potentially abusing industrial machines for military purposes. Smartphones are among the items banned under HS Code 85.

However, the IOC’s official statement appears to have dismissed the concern, though it did not provide any additional explanation or comments regarding the circumstances of RFA’s report.

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification could face potential criticism as their earlier explanation to the media was based on the premise that “the North Korean team received Samsung smartphones,” raising questions about whether the government accurately understood the situation.