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Olympic Committee apologizes to South Korea for opening ceremony blunder

Posted on by angelo
Olympic Committee apologizes to South Korea for opening ceremony blunder

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologized Saturday for a mistake at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, where South Korea was incorrectly introduced as North Korea during the athletes’ parade, Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.

Jang Mi-ran, second vice minister of South Korea’s sports ministry, requested a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach after witnessing the incident, Yonhap News reported.

The IOC later apologized for the error in its official Korean X account.

In a message posted on X, the International Olympic Committee said: “We deeply apologize for the error that occurred during the introduction of the Korean athletes during the broadcast of the opening ceremony.”

In a statement, Jang Mi-ran asked the country’s chief delegate, Jeong Gang-sun, to seek an explanation from the local Olympic organizing committee and the IOC, Yonhap News reported.

“We have also asked the foreign ministry to lodge a strong complaint with France at the government level. The Korean Olympic and Sports Committee has immediately asked the Paris organizing committee to prevent similar cases from happening again and will lodge an official protest under the leadership of our chef de mission. The committee will also meet with the IOC,” Yonhap news agency reported, citing the sports ministry.

As the South Korean delegation, the 48th nation, crossed the Seine River, the announcement read “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” followed by the English name “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” The English name is the official name of North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.

The subtitles on the broadcast’s giant screens correctly displayed “Republic of Korea,” the official English designation for South Korea.

The two countries are long-standing rivals, with the most recent point of contention being North Korea floating more than 300 trash-laden balloons over South Korea on June 10 after the South criticized international media and K-pop, both banned by the Kim regime. (This story is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)