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

South Korea's Lim Jonghoon (right) takes a ‘victory selfie’ with North Korea's Ri Jong Sik, left, and Kim Kum, second left, China's Wang Chuqin, background, and Sun Yingsha, center, and his teammate Shin Yubin, right, during the medal ceremony for table tennis at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. 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’. — AP

SEOUL, South Korea: South Korean officials on Aug 8 said providing Samsung smartphones to North Korean athletes at the Paris Olympics would violate UN Security Council sanctions against the country over its nuclear and missile programme.

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.