Olympics opening ceremony gaffe: South Korea expresses 'regret'; International Olympic Committee apologises
The Hindu
South Korea expresses regret over Paris Olympics gaffe, where its athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korean.
South Korea's Sports Ministry on July 27 expressed regret over a gaffe during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in which South Korean athletes were incorrectly introduced as North Korean. Further, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologised for the gaffe, on July 27.
“We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account.
As the South Korean delegation rode a boat on the Seine River and entered the ceremony as the 48th participating nation, the French-speaking presenter introduced them using the official name for North Korea: "Republique populaire democratique de Coree" in French, then "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" in English.
The error sparked displeased reactions in South Korea, a global cultural and technological powerhouse that is technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North, as the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
“South Korea’s Sports Ministry expresses 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,” it said in a statement.
“Second Vice-Sports Minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has asked for a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter,” it added.
The Sports Ministry has also asked the Foreign Ministry to "deliver a strong protest to the French side" over the issue.
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