SEOUL: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday apologised for a blunder in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony where South Korea was incorrectly introduced as North Korea during the parade of athletes, Seoul-based news agency, Yonhap News reported. Jang Mi-ran, the second Vice Minister of the South Korean sports ministry sought a meeting with the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach after being a witness to the incident, Yonhap News said.
Subsequently, the IOC apologised for the error in its official Korean X account. In a post on X, the The International Olympic Committee said, "We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean athletes during the broadcast of the opening ceremony."
In a statement, Jang Mi-ran asked the country's top delegate, Jeong Gang-sun to ask for an explanation from the Olympics' local organising committee and the IOC, Yonhap News reported.
"We also asked the foreign ministry to lodge a strong complaint with France on a government level. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee immediately asked the Paris organizing committee to prevent a recurrence of similar cases and will submit an official protest under our chef de mission. The committee will also meet with the IOC," Yonhap News Agency reported, quoting the sports ministry.
As the South Korean delegation, the 48th nation, sailed through the Seine River, the announcement said, "Republique populaire democratique de Coree", followed by the English name, "Democratic People's Republic of Korea".
The English name is the official designation of North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported. The subtitles on the giant screens of the broadcast feed correctly displayed "Republic of Korea", the official English designation of South Korea. Both countries have been long standing rivals with the recent flashpoint being North Korea floating over 300 waste-loaded balloons into South Korea on June 10 after the South blasted international news and K-pop, both banned by the Kim regime.