Olympic Games organizers have issued a formal apology for mistakenly introducing South Korea’s athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony in Paris. The error occurred as the South Korean athletes were seen waving their nation’s flag on a boat on the Seine River, being announced as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in both French and English. South Korea is actually known as the Republic of Korea. The International Olympic Committee expressed regret for the mistake in a statement posted in Korean.
Jang Mi Ran, the second vice minister of South Korea’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ministry, has requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach regarding the incident. The ministry also mentioned that South Korea’s Foreign Ministry was urged to file a formal complaint at a government level with the French government over the matter. Additionally, the South Korean Olympic committee has urged Paris Games organizers to take steps to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams acknowledged the error, describing it as “clearly deeply regrettable.” He explained that it was an operational mistake and offered the organization’s apologies for the oversight during a complex and eventful evening. The Korean peninsula has been divided into South Korea and North Korea since the conclusion of World War II in 1945. Despite the incorrect announcement, the boat carrying the South Korean athletes did display the correct name during the ceremony.
