North Korea athletes have not received Samsung smartphones at Paris Games - IOC

PARIS - North Korean team members have not received Olympic sponsor Samsung's smartphones that were given free to all athletes at the Paris 2024 Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday.

The South Korean electronics company, a top sponsor of the IOC, is providing all 10,500 competitors with a smartphone, which they are allowed to keep when they return home.

"We can confirm that the athletes of the National Olympic Committee of DPRK have not received the Samsung phones," a spokesperson for the IOC said.

On Thursday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry drew attention to the United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

Formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes since 2006, and those measures have been strengthened over the years, including bans on products that have both civilian and military use.

"The U.N. Security Council, in accordance with paragraph 7 of Resolution 2397 (2017), prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer of all industrial machinery to North Korea, and smartphones are prohibited items subject to the resolution," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Our government is continuing to make diplomatic efforts in cooperation with the international community to ensure the thorough implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions."

The North Korean team has 14 athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics, according to the Games organisers' list, competing in seven sports. — Reuters