South Korea expressed regret that its athletes were introduced as those from rival North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday and called on organizers to ensure such a mistake would not happen again.
As the boat carrying the South Korean athletes passed along the Seine, an announcer introduced them in French and English as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” North Korea’s official name.
The announcer gave the same introduction when the North Korean delegation passed by.
South Korea’s Vice Minister of Sports and Culture Jang Mi-ran has requested a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during her visit to Paris, the ministry said in a statement.
“We express regret that the Republic of Korea was introduced as North Korea when its athletes made their entrance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics,” he said.
The Korean Olympic Committee immediately reported the incident to the event organizers and urged them to ensure such a mistake was not repeated.
The IOC said the incident was a mistake and issued an apology on its Korean-language handle, X, saying it “deeply regrets the incident.”
The South Korean delegation includes 143 athletes competing in 21 sports.
North Korea, returning to the Olympics for the first time since the 2016 Rio Games, has sent 16 athletes.
