"North Korea" in Korean Team... IOC Finally "Deeply Apologizes" for Embarrassing Opening Ceremony Incident [Paris Olympics]

by Kim Heeyun

Published 27 Jul.2024 11:38(KST)

Updated 27 Jul.2024 13:45(KST)

Vice Minister Jang Miran Meets with Thomas Bach, IOC President

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologized for the absurd incident of mistakenly introducing the South Korean delegation as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the '2024 Paris Olympics.'

Thomas Bach, IOC President, delivering the opening speech <br>[Photo by Yonhap News]

Thomas Bach, IOC President, delivering the opening speech
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 27th, the IOC stated through the Korean-language service account on X (formerly Twitter), "We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred during the introduction of the Republic of Korea delegation in the opening ceremony broadcast."

On the 26th (local time), when the South Korean delegation entered 48th according to the French country name notation, the announcer mistakenly introduced South Korea as North Korea in both French and English.

North Korea, which entered 153rd, was correctly announced in both French and English.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism expressed regret to the IOC and requested measures to prevent recurrence. On the same day, the ministry stated, "Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach in Paris, France," and "also requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver a strong protest to France at the government level."

However, unlike the Korean account, the official IOC SNS in English did not post an apology related to the incident.

[Image source=Yonhap News]