North Korean Olympic Team Denied Samsung Smartphones at Paris Olympics
The North Korean Olympic team has been making headlines at the Paris Olympics with five medals so far, but they will be going home empty-handed when it comes to new smartphones. The International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday that North Korea’s athletes will be the only ones not receiving complimentary Samsung smartphones that were given to all other teams.
Samsung, a South Korea-based sponsor of the Olympics, offered 10,500 complimentary new phones to this year’s Olympians. The Galaxy Z Flip6, which includes a foldable screen not featured in any available iPhone products, was the phone of choice. However, the South Korean Foreign Ministry stated that providing Samsung smartphones to North Korean Olympians could defy U.N. sanctions related to Pyongyang’s weapons program.
North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006, and the sanctions have become more restrictive over the years. The South Korean military recently announced preparations for “Star Wars” laser defense systems as countermeasures to North Korea’s advancing weapons.
Tensions between the two nations have resulted in similar incidents involving Samsung in the past. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, North Koreans refused to receive Samsung devices offered by the organizing committee under the condition that they return them before heading home.
North Korea has 14 athletes participating in the Paris Olympics, winning silver in mixed doubles table tennis and diving. Despite their success on the field, they will not be receiving the coveted Samsung smartphones like their fellow Olympians.