Paris : During the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics 2024, South Korea was wrongly introduced as North Korea. This has sparked wide controversy and protests from South Korean officials.
The Wrong introduction of South Korea
The incident took place during the entry of South Korean delegation , where the French announcer presenter introduced them as “Republique populaire democratique de Coree,” (the official name of North Korea) , then followed the English translation as “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”, instead of saying ” Republic of Korea” (Official name of South Korea).
However, during North Korea’s entry later , it was introduced correctly.
The Controversy and Protests
North and South Korea share bitter relations since the Korean War, and have contrasting cultures. South Korean officials didn’t take The matter lightly.
“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,” the ministry was quoted in a statement.
South Korea’s second vice sports minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has requested a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter, the statement added.
The sports ministry has also sought help from the foreign ministry to “deliver a strong protest to the French side” regarding the issue.
South Korea’s National Olympic Committee plans to meet with the Paris Olympics Organising Committee and the IOC to voice their protest, request measures to prevent a recurrence, and send an official letter of protest under the head of its delegation’s name, the sports ministry stated.
International Olympics Committee Apologizes
The International Olympic Committee regretting the mistake asked for an apology via Korean language on social media.
“We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean athletes during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the committee said.
South Korean delegation consists of 143 athletes, while North Korea, making their way after 8 years since Rio Olympics 2016 sent only 16 athletes team.
