South Korean authorities have issued a warning regarding the Samsung smartphones that were provided to North Korean athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris. According to the officials, these devices are in violation of United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea related to the country’s nuclear and missile programs. Samsung, a major partner of the Olympics, has supplied their latest Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones for all athletes participating in the Paris Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that the smartphones have been sent to the Olympic Village for the North Korean athletes, although it remains unclear what happened to the devices afterward. The IOC has not provided further information about the situation.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has pointed out that smartphones are among the items prohibited under Security Council Resolution 2397 from 2017, which prohibits the delivery, sale, or transfer of “any industrial equipment” to North Korea. This resolution does not differentiate between the North Korean government and its citizens, and South Korean authorities have been clear that smartphones will be banned regardless of how they might enter the country.

Lee Jaewoong, a spokesperson for the ministry, stated that it is “critical to prevent prohibited items from entering North Korea.” He added that the Seoul government is making “necessary diplomatic efforts” to ensure that the sanctions are upheld but refused to provide further details about these efforts.

This issue arose previously during the Winter Olympics in 2018, held in South Korea, when North Korean officials declined to accept Samsung devices offered by the organizing committee under the condition that they be returned before they traveled home.

According to South Korean officials, North Korea has sent 16 athletes to participate in the Paris Games, competing in seven sports, including wrestling, swimming, table tennis, and boxing. North Korea did not participate in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021 due to the country’s own self-imposed lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The IOC subsequently excluded the nation from competing in the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 as a penalty for not sending a team to Tokyo.