South Korea Mistakenly Introduced As North Korea at Paris Olympics; IOC Issues Apology

Paris: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an apology on Saturday following a significant error during the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. South Korean athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Koreans while they paraded along the Seine River. The introduction erroneously used the official North Korean designation, “République populaire démocratique de Corée” in French and “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.

The mix-up prompted strong reactions from South Korea, a technologically advanced and culturally influential nation that remains technically at war with the isolated and nuclear-armed North Korea. The IOC acknowledged the mistake and expressed deep regret through a statement on its X account.

An error occurred in our broadcast when introducing the team of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Republic of Korea during the Opening Ceremony, we apologise sincerely. pic.twitter.com/LfUPLrtaYv

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 27, 2024

In response to the incident, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee confirmed it received a direct apology offer from IOC President Thomas Bach, who expressed his desire to speak with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol personally. South Korea’s sports ministry also condemned the error and requested a meeting with Bach to address the issue.

The South Korean foreign ministry contacted the French embassy in Seoul, which expressed its regret over what it termed an “incomprehensible mistake.” North Korea, on the other hand, was correctly introduced by its official name during the ceremony.

The gaffe comes at a tense time for inter-Korean relations, with North Korea strengthening military ties with Russia and engaging in provocative actions such as sending balloons carrying trash into South Korea. In retaliation, South Korea has intensified its military activities, including blasting K-pop and anti-regime content from loudspeakers near the border and resuming live-fire drills.