2024-07-27 10:01:24
As the excited, flag-waving South Korean delegation floated down the Seine River during the opening ceremony, they were introduced by both French and English announcers as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” team.
The same name of the country was also used when the North Korean delegation sailed on the ship.
The two Koreas were divided into two after the end of World War II, and tensions between the two countries have increased recently.
However, the subtitles of the TV broadcast showed the correct name when the South Koreans were swimming.
South Korea’s sports ministry said it intended to make a “strict complaint to France at the government level” over the embarrassing incident.
In a statement, the ministry expressed “regret over the announcement… where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team.”
Second Vice Minister of Sports Jang Mi-ran, the 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has requested a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, the statement added.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an apology on its official Korean-language X account, saying: “We would like to deeply apologize for the error that occurred during the opening ceremony in introducing the South Korean delegation.”
South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, has 143 athletes competing in 21 sports on this year’s Olympic team.
North Korea delegated just 16 athletes. This is the first time that North Koreans have participated in the Games since 2016. Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The 2020 Games in Tokyo were boycotted by the North Korean authorities.
2024-07-27 10:01:24