The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sent a letter to the South Korean government apologising for the mistake during the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 in which the presenters referred to their country with the name used for North Korea.
The letter, sent to South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon, to the head of the South Korean delegation to Paris 2024, Jeong Gang-sun, and to the president of the South Korean Olympic Committee, Lee Kee-heung, and released on Saturday, conveys its apologies for the error.
“The IOC would like to reiterate its sincere and deepest apologies for the regrettable errors made by the television commentators at the Opening Ceremony. Please be assured that the IOC is working with all its partners to ensure that such an incident is not repeated during the Olympic Games,” the letter said.
The text also mentions the call that IOC President Thomas Bach made the day before to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to convey his “sincere apologies” for the incident.
During Friday’s inauguration, when it was time to introduce the occupants of the boat that sailed on the Seine carrying the South Korean delegation, the Asian country’s team was announced in French and English as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” – the official designation for North Korea and not for South Korea, which is called the “Republic of Korea.”
The subtitles for the broadcast seen on television and displayed on giant screens along the Seine correctly showed “Republic of Korea” in English.
North Korea, which was introduced later, was correctly identified both on the loudspeakers and on the signs.
This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred when these two countries, which are technically still at war, were present at the Olympic Games, since the conflict between them between 1950 and 1953 ended with a ceasefire instead of a peace treaty.
At London 2012, the North Korean women’s football team walked off the pitch in protest after the team was mistakenly presented on the stadium’s video scoreboard with the South Korean flag.
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