Olympic organizers have issued a formal apology after South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. The gaffe occurred as the South Korean team, waving flags and celebrating, was announced as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”—the official name of North Korea. The error was corrected when North Korea’s actual delegation appeared later.
The South Korean sports ministry expressed deep regret over the incident and plans to lodge a formal complaint with the French government. The ministry highlighted that the subtitle on the television broadcast displayed the correct title, but the verbal announcement was incorrect.
Second Vice Sports Minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has requested a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach to discuss the matter. The IOC issued an apology on its Korean-language X account, acknowledging the mistake and expressing sincere regret.
South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, is represented by 143 athletes competing in 21 sports at the Olympics. North Korea, which has not competed since the Rio 2016 Games, has sent a delegation of 16 athletes.
