Paris 2024 IOC apologises for introducing South Korean athletes as North Korean

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has expressed regret for an error during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where South Korean athletes were incorrectly introduced as being from North Korea.

As the South Korean delegation sailed down the Seine River in Paris, they were mistakenly introduced using the official name for North Korea: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French and “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.

“We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC stated on its official Korean-language X account.

The error sparked strong reactions in South Korea, a significant cultural and technological hub that remains technically at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North.

South Korea’s sports ministry expressed “regret” over the incident, stating, “We express regret over the announcement during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team.”

Jang Mi-ran, South Korea’s second vice sports minister and a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach to discuss the issue.

The South Korean foreign ministry contacted the French embassy in Seoul, which expressed regret over what it termed an “incomprehensible mistake.”

South Korea’s National Olympic Committee also plans to meet with the Paris Olympics Organizing Committee and the IOC to voice their protest, request measures to prevent a recurrence and send an official letter of protest from the head of its delegation, according to the sports ministry.

North Korea was correctly introduced with the country’s official name during the ceremony.

Relations between the two Koreas are currently at a low point, with North Korea strengthening military ties with Russia and sending propaganda balloons to the South.

In response, South Korea’s military has been broadcasting K-pop and anti-regime messages from border loudspeakers and recently resumed live-fire drills near the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean peninsula.