The government says UN Security Council(UNSC) sanctions on North Korea may have been violated with North Korean athletes that had competed in the Paris Olympics accepting smartphones provided by Samsung Electronics. 

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong told reporters on Thursday that UNSC Resolution 2397 prohibits the direct or indirect supply as well as sale or transfer to the North of all industrial machinery, adding that smartphones fall under the ban.

An official at the unification ministry also told reporters that there is a possibility of sanctions violation before saying that the International Olympic Committee(IOC) will have to give a final answer as to whether such violation was committed. 

Lee said in order for there to be no violation, it is crucial that the South Korean tech giant’s smartphones don’t end up in the North. 

His remarks suggest that Seoul is consulting with the IOC and France to block the phones from entering the reclusive state. 

The IOC had provided to all athletes that competed in the Paris Olympics the Galaxy Z Flip 6 that Samsung Electronics made specially for the Olympics as a sponsor of the event. 

The North’s National Olympic Committee had received the said phones for the North’s athletes.