Samsung Withholding Smartphones from North Korean Athletes at Paris Olympics
The 2024 Paris Olympics have brought a unique dilemma for Samsung, with the tech giant opting to withhold smartphone distributions to North Korean athletes due to UN sanctions. This decision stems from concerns over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons development program and the associated UN restrictions on equipment transfers to the country.
Samsung confirmed the exclusion of North Korean athletes from receiving the Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones provided to other participants. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the exclusion without providing further details.
South Korean officials elaborated on the rationale behind this decision, citing a UN Security Council resolution that prohibits the direct or indirect supply of various industrial equipment, including smartphones, to North Korea. This aligns with reports suggesting that North Korea has been receiving these devices.
The controversy surrounding the smartphones began earlier in the Games when photos emerged of South and North Korean table tennis players posing with the same Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 phone. This symbolic gesture highlighted the complex political tensions between the two Koreas.
This isn’t the first time North Korean athletes have been excluded from receiving technological gifts at major sporting events. During the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Samsung also withheld smartphones from North Korean athletes at the organizers’ request.