PARIS — Olympic Games organizers issued a public apology for mistakenly introducing South Korea's athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony in Paris.

As the South Korean athletes waved their nation's flag on a boat floating down the Seine River on Friday evening, they were announced in both French and English as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, instead of the Republic of Korea.

“We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean team during the opening ceremony broadcast,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated in a post on X, written in Korean.

In response to the incident, Jang Mi Ran, the second vice minister of South Korea’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ministry, requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach.

The ministry also asked South Korea’s Foreign Ministry to file “a strong government-level complaint” with the French government. South Korea’s Olympic committee separately urged the Paris Games organizers to prevent similar incidents in the future.

On Saturday, Bach called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to apologize. Yoon expressed that the South Korean people were “very shocked and embarrassed” and asked Bach to apologize publicly and ensure no repetition of such errors. Bach assured Yoon that steps would be taken to prevent future mistakes.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams described the error as “clearly deeply regrettable” and explained that it was an operational mistake made during a complex event. He apologized, emphasizing the difficulties of coordinating such a large-scale ceremony.

The Korean peninsula has been divided into South Korea and North Korea since the end of World War II in 1945. The mistake at the Paris ceremony is reminiscent of a 2012 London Olympics incident where the South Korean flag was incorrectly displayed for a North Korean player, causing a delay in a women’s soccer match.

Additionally, during the Paris ceremony, the Olympic flag was mistakenly hoisted upside down toward the end of the event. Adams acknowledged this error as well, stating that such mishaps, although regrettable, can occur during a lengthy and intricate show. The IOC’s television broadcast avoided close-up images of the improperly displayed flag.

Despite these glitches, the IOC aims to move forward and ensure the smooth running of the Games. — Agencies