Written By Lisa Murimi
Olympic organizers have issued a “deep apology” after South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea.
The error occurred as the enthusiastic, flag-waving South Korean team floated down the River Seine. Announcers in both French and English introduced them as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” North Korea’s official name.
The error was corrected when the actual North Korean delegation sailed past. While the subtitle displayed on the television broadcast showed the correct title for South Korea, the verbal mistake caused significant embarrassment.
The South Korean sports ministry announced plans to lodge a “strong complaint with France on a government level” regarding the incident. In a statement, the ministry expressed “regret over the announcement… where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team.” Jang Mi-ran, the second vice sports minister and a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, demanded a meeting with Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologised on its official Korean-language X account, stating: “We would like to offer a deep apology over the mistake that occurred in the introduction of the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony.”
South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, has 143 athletes competing across 21 sports in this year’s games, while North Korea has sent 16 athletes, marking its first Olympic participation since Rio 2016.
