A major blunder occurred during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) mistakenly introduced the South Korean delegation as North Korea. The mistake caused widespread outrage in South Korea and the Olympic Committee later formally apologised.
When the South Korean contingent was sailing down the Seoun River with the other participating nations, the announcer mistakenly identified them as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” the official name of North Korea. The same name was repeated when introducing the actual North Korean delegation.
North and South Korea have a hostile relationship that has its roots in the division of the Korean Peninsula after World War II. From one of the most brutal wars in history to recent heightened tensions, the two countries have a long history of conflict.
The Olympic Committee has expressed deep regret over the incident and assured South Korea that steps will be taken to prevent such mistakes in future.
“We deeply apologize for the mistake made when introducing the Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the International Olympic Committee said in a post on X in Korean.
South Korea has expressed its disappointment over the incident and stressed the importance of accurately representing the two countries.
IOC President Thomas Bach spoke to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and personally apologised for the mistake. The South Korean president told Bach that his country’s people were “deeply shocked and embarrassed” by the incident.
Olympic committee spokesman Mark Adams also described the error as “obviously extremely regrettable.”
“An operational error has occurred. We can only apologise that it occurred on what was such a busy evening,” Adams said.
South Korea’s Sports Ministry has requested the country’s Foreign Ministry to lodge “a strong official complaint” to the government of France, where the Olympics are being held.
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