Paris Olympics 2024 – IOC Apologizes for Calling South Korean Athletes as North Korean
- BY Dhiren
- July 27, 2024
- Read in 3 Minutes
The South Korean squad was unintentionally introduced as North Korean during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, for which the International Olympic Committee – IOC apologizes.
The South Korean crew sailed down the Seine River in the French capital as delegates of the “Democrat People’s Republic of Korea” (North Korea) in both French and English, joining other delegations.
The North Korean delegation received the same introduction from the announcer.
The IOC posted on its Korean-language X account, saying, “We deeply IOC apologizes for the mistake we made when introducing the South Korean team in the broadcast of the opening ceremony.” This came following anger from South Koreans.
On Saturday, IOC President Thomas Bach apologized to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
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The president’s office released a statement on Saturday, expressing Yoon’s hopes for a successful event and warning him not to repeat such errors.
Yoon added that South Koreans, who had held both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, were taken aback and perplexed.
Although the 1950–1953 battle between South and North Korea ended in a truce and a demilitarized area rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas are still formally at war. The Koreas have suspended a significant military accord from 2018, adding to the escalating tensions between them in recent months.
The incorrect remark made during the opening ceremony was something South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism “expresses regret” over, the ministry stated in a statement on Saturday.
It further stated that Jang Mi-ran, the 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion and South Korea’s vice minister for sports and culture, requested a meeting with Bach to talk about the issue.
Completing 21 events are 143 athletes from South Korea’s team. With 16 athletes, North Korea participates in the games for the first time since Rio 2016.
The Nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the French embassy in Seoul, and the IOC apologizes for the “incomprehensible mistake.”
The National Olympic Committee of South Korea announced that it would like to meet with the IOC and the Paris Olympic organizing committee to express its disapproval. The committee from South Korea asked for action to ensure that this didn’t happen again.
In the face of its international isolation, North Korea has been strengthening its ties with Russia.
Earlier this week, the first garbage-carrying balloon to cross the volatile border touched down on South Korea’s presidential compound.
South Korean activists have been using loudspeakers to broadcast propaganda and pamphlets critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime, resulting in the release of over 2,000 balloons by North Korea as a reaction.
