The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologized on Saturday (July 27) for a major mistake at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The error occurred when athletes from South Korea were misidentified as North Korean delegates during their parade down the Seine River.
They were incorrectly identified as representing the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” or the “Republique populaire democratic de Coree”, the official names of North Korea in English and French.
South Korea’s official name is the Republic of Korea. The IOC said, “When announcing the South Korean squad during the opening ceremony broadcast, we made a mistake for which we sincerely apologize.”
South Korea, a cultural and scientific powerhouse technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North, responded angrily to the gaffe. The sports ministry of South Korea released a statement expressing “regret” over the incorrect notification.
It further stated that the 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion Jang Mi-ran, the second vice sports minister, has requested a meeting with IOC head Thomas Bach to talk about the issue.
According to the statement, the foreign ministry has also been urged by the sports ministry to “deliver a strong protest to the French side” on the matter.
According to the sports ministry, the National Olympic Committee of South Korea intends to meet with the IOC and the Paris Olympics Organising Committee to express their disapproval, ask for steps to stop a repeat and submit a formal letter of protest signed by the leader of their delegation.
North Korea is participating in the games for the first time since Rio 2016. It did not attend the Olympics in Tokyo due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the North strengthens its military connections with Russia and thousands of garbage-carrying balloons are being sent to the South, relations between the two Koreas are at an all-time low.