IOC spokesperson Mark Adams officially APOLOGIZES to South Korea after wrongfully introducing squad as North Korea

The IOC apologized for the mistake, calling it "clearly deeply regrettable."

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams officially APOLOGIZES to South Korea after wrongfully introducing squad as North Korea

Paris Olympics 2024 (Via NPR)

The South Korean government has apologized for the Paris Olympics organizers’ blunder in presenting the South Korean squad as North Korea at the opening ceremony. As the South Korean athletes marched on boats down the Seine River, they were introduced as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” (North Korea’s official name) in both French and English.

Jang Mi-ran, South Korea’s Vice Minister for Sports and Culture, has sought an immediate meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach to discuss the matter. The South Korean government also filed an official complaint with the Games’ organizers.

We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean team during the opening ceremony broadcast.
The International Olympic Committee said in a post on X in Korean

The IOC spokesperson Mark Adams on Saturday called the error “clearly deeply regrettable”.

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An operational mistake was made. We can only apologize, in an evening of so many moving parts, that this mistake was made.
Mark Adams added

This isn’t the first time such a mix-up has occurred; a similar situation occurred during the 2012 London Olympics.

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South Korea mishap at the London Olympics 2012: Flag mismatch

During the London Olympics 2012, organizers apologized for a major flag mix-up. During the women’s football warm-up, the South Korean flag was accidentally shown alongside North Korea’s squad. This gaffe prompted North Korean players to walk off the pitch in protest. They originally declined to play the match against Colombia.

The game, scheduled for 7:45 p.m., was delayed by more than an hour. The North Korean squad continued warm-ups only once the right flag was displayed. The match ultimately began at 8:50 p.m. Paul Deighton, the organizing committee’s chief executive, described it as “simple human error.”

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North Korea’s coach said the event was serious. He remarked that displaying the South Korean flag was improper. The mix-up underscores the tight ties between the two Koreas, who are technically at war. After the game, North Korea’s coach, Ui Gun-sin, said that winning their match 2-0 did not compensate for the mix-up. 

The national flag difference is a big problem. Our team was not going to participate unless the problem was solved properly. Unfortunately, it took some time later for the broadcast [on the big screen] to be done again properly and we made the decision to go on with the match.
Ui Gun-sin said

North Korea had a good football history, achieving a memorable upset against Italy in the 1966 World Cup before succumbing to Portugal in the quarterfinals. However, the country boycotted the 1988 Olympics since it was co-hosting with Seoul, its neighbor’s capital city.

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