Paris 2024: IOC apologises for South Korea, North Korea mix-up at opening ceremony

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has tendered an apology after South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 on Friday.

As teams waved their flags, floating down the River Seine, both French and English announcers introduced South Korea as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” which is the official name of North Korea.

The same name was then used – correctly – when North Korea’s delegation sailed past.

Following the incident, the IOC issued a statement on its official Korean-language X account, saying, “We would like to offer a deep apology over the mistake that occurred in the introduction of the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony.”

The two Koreas have been divided since the end of World War Two (1939 – 1945), with tensions between the states further escalating recently.

Meanwhile, the South Korean sports ministry, in a statement, said it planned to lodge a complaint with France on a government level over the matter.

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The ministry expressed regret over the announcement, adding that the second vice sports minister, Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, had demanded a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach.

South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, has 143 athletes in its Olympic team this year, and will participate across 21 sports.

On their part, North Korea has sent 16 athletes and this is the first time it has competed in the games since Rio 2016.

Paris was awarded the hosting right at the 131st IOC Session in Lima, Peru, on 13 September 2017. After multiple withdrawals that left only Paris and Los Angeles in contention, the IOC approved a process