Those Samsung smartphones given to Olympic athletes? They may violate sanctions on North Korea

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials on Thursday said providing Samsung smartphones to North Korean athletes at the Paris Olympics would violate U.N. Security Council sanctions against the country over its nuclear and missile program.

The South Korean technology giant is a major Olympic partner, and its newest Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones are being given to all athletes competing at the Games.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed that the phones were sent to the Olympic village, then later said the North Korean athletes had not received them. It’s unclear where the phones might have went.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said smartphones are among the items banned under Security Council Resolution 2397 passed in 2017, which prohibits 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.

Lee Jaewoong, the ministry’s spokesperson, said 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.

The issue also arose during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, where the North Koreans 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 sent 16 athletes to the Paris Games to compete in seven sports, including wrestling, swimming, table