South Korea Seeks Formal Meeting with IOC Over Misidentification at Paris Olympics Opening

PARIS — The South Korean sports ministry is actively seeking a formal meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach following an incident at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony where the South Korean team was mistakenly introduced as North Korea.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the second vice minister of sports who was present at the ceremony, has requested the IOC to arrange a meeting to discuss the gaffe. Additionally, South Korea’s chef de mission, Jeong Gang-sun, has been instructed to secure a prompt response from both the IOC and the local organizing committee. The sports ministry also directed the foreign ministry to express strong dissatisfaction with the French government over the error.

During the opening ceremony, as the South Korean delegation entered as the 48th nation, the French-speaking announcer mistakenly referred to them as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” North Korea’s official name. However, the English subtitles correctly displayed “Republic of Korea.” North Korea, meanwhile, was introduced accurately later in the ceremony.

The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) reported that it had received an initial apology from the Paris organizing committee and that committee head Tony Estanguet promised to personally apologize later that day. Additionally, IOC President Bach has expressed his willingness to directly apologize to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in a call facilitated by KSOC chief Lee Kee-heung, who is also an IOC member. Lee has requested a written apology from the IOC before any such conversation takes place.

The IOC had earlier issued an apology on its Korean-language social media account but did not replicate this message on its English-language platforms, highlighting a communication inconsistency that has added to the frustration of the South Korean officials.