Olympic organizers have issued a “deep apology” after South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea during the Paris opening ceremony.
As the South Korean team sailed down the River Seine, both French and English announcers incorrectly referred to them as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” which is North Korea’s official name. The correct name was then used when North Korea’s delegation passed by.
The South Korean sports ministry plans to file a “strong complaint” with the French government over this error. The ministry expressed regret over the mix-up, stating that the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team.
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The second vice sports minister, Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has requested a meeting with Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologized on its official Korean-language X account, saying: “We offer a deep apology for the mistake in introducing the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony.”
This year, South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, has 143 athletes competing in 21 sports, while North Korea, which has not competed since the Rio 2016 Games, has sent 16 athletes.