Samsung phones for N. Korean Olympians could breach UN sanctions: Seoul

Lim Jong-hoon (left) and Shin Yu-bin (second from right) of South Korea take a selfie using a Samsung-gifted smartphone with their North Korean and Chinese counterparts on the podium during the awards ceremony of the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris on July 30. (Yonhap)

The South Korean government on Thursday flagged that North Korea's receipt of Samsung-gifted smartphones, specially customized for all athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, could constitute a violation of UN sanctions.

The International Olympic Committee has provided all athletes at the Paris Olympics with specially designed Olympic Edition Galaxy Z Flip6 smartphones from Samsung Electronics, an official event sponsor.

The Unification Ministry in Seoul said the North Korean Olympic committee's collection of Samsung smartphones on behalf of its athletes "presents a possibility of violating sanctions on North Korea."

A senior official at the ministry further explained on condition of anonymity that the "final response" on whether sanctions have been breached should be provided by the IOC.

Both the Unification Ministry and the Foreign Ministry in Seoul cited UN Security Council Resolution 2397, unanimously adopted in December 2017, as the basis for their judgment.

"According to Paragraph 7 of UNSC Resolution 2397, the direct and indirect supply, sale, and transfer of all industrial machinery to North Korea are prohibited, and smartphones are included in the list of banned items under the resolution," the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said during a regular press briefing.

"To prevent this case from resulting in a violation of the resolution, it is crucial that the prohibited items should not be allowed to flow into North Korea," Lee added.

Lee's comment suggested that the Foreign Ministry's position is that unless Samsung smartphones have been imported into North Korean territory, it is not considered a violation of UN sanctions.

The South Korean government believes there is a high likelihood that no smartphones have been smuggled into North Korea yet, The Korea Herald has learned from conversations with diplomatic sources.

The government has been implementing measures to prevent Samsung smartphones from entering North Korean territory. Efforts include the South Korean government's communications with French authorities and the IOC at both governmental and private levels, a senior Foreign Ministry official confirmed on condition of anonymity.

Speaking at the briefing, Lee underscored that, "Our government is making necessary diplomatic efforts in coordination with the international community to ensure the thorough implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, and we will continue these efforts in the future."

When asked who is responsible for violating UNSC Resolution 2397 -- the IOC for providing the phones or the North Korean Olympic Committee for receiving them -- the unnamed Unification Ministry official answered, "both parties."

The ministry official further clarified that while Samsung Electronics merely sponsored the Olympic edition smartphones, the "final decision on their distribution lies with the IOC."

Seoul's response came after US government-funded media outlet Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday that the IOC confirmed the North Korean National Olympic Committee collected Samsung smartphones for their athletes.

The IOC clarified to RFA that the North Korean National Olympic Committee or NOC, like other National Olympic Committees, is not obligated to return the Samsung smartphones.

Whether the Samsung smartphones collected by a representative of the North Korean team were distributed to the athletes remains unconfirmed. North Korean athletes have not been seen using Samsung Olympic edition smartphones during the Paris Olympics.

However, in a statement released on Thursday, the IOC confirmed that "the athletes from the NOC of the DPRK have not received the Samsung phones," providing no further details amidst the escalating controversy surrounding the issue.

The DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

This is not the first controversy to arise over whether North Korea's receipt of Olympic edition smartphones contravenes UN sanctions.

During the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the last time North Korean athletes participated before the Paris Olympics this year, South Korea's Olympic Organizing Committee was wary of potential sanctions violations.

The committee proposed giving Samsung smartphones to North Korean athletes on the condition that they return them before leaving. The proposal led to North Korea refusing to accept the phones altogether.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)