By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 4 hours ago, Updated 2 minutes ago
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The South Korean delegation was presented as that of North Korea by the International Olympic Committee. The body apologized.
South Korea protested Saturday after a gaffe at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony in which its athletes were mistakenly identified as North Koreans, prompting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to apologize.
As the South Korean delegation arrived by boat on the Seine as the 48th participating nation, announcers introduced it as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in French and then “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English, using in both languages the official name of North Korea, a country with which Seoul is still at war.
South Korean Ministry of Sports “regrets the announcement made at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, during which the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team”he said in a statement.
Jang Mi-ran, vice sports minister and 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has requested a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach to discuss the case. The sports ministry has also asked the foreign ministry to “firmly protest to the French side” on this subject.
The IOC has apologized
The South Korean National Olympic Committee also plans to meet with the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee and the IOC to express its protests, request measures to prevent a recurrence and send an official letter of protest on behalf of its head of delegation, the sports ministry said.
“We deeply apologize for the error that occurred during the introduction of the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony.”the IOC wrote on the social network X in Korean. During the ceremony, North Korea was properly introduced with its official name.
Also read: Opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: a magical evening, a sublime celebration
Relations between the two border countries are at their lowest in years, as Pyongyang has moved to strengthen its military ties with Russia and has been sending thousands of balloons loaded with garbage toward the South for several months.
In response, Seoul’s military has been blasting K-pop and anti-Kim Jong Un regime messages over loudspeakers across the border and has recently resumed live-fire drills on border islands and near the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea is still technically at war with the North, after a conflict between 1950 and 1953 that ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
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