Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
IOC apologizes to S. Korea for introducing athletes as N. Korean
South Korea's delegates wave their national flags during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Friday (local time). International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach apologized to President Yoon Suk Yeol after South Korean athletes were wrongly introduced as North Korean during the opening event, according to Yoon’s office. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Jung Min-ho
‘Inexcusable incident’: Bach vows not to make same mistake
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologized to South Korea after the country's athletes were wrongly introduced as North Korean during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
IOC President Thomas Bach had a phone conversation with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Saturday, following the blunder hours earlier. In their 10-minute talk, Bach offered his “sincere and heartfelt apology” for the “inexcusable” mistake and promised that the IOC will take all measures necessary to prevent a recurrence, Jung Hye-jeon, spokeswoman for Yoon, told reporters.
This comes after South Korea’s delegation was announced in both French and English as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name, at Friday’s (local time) opening event on the Seine. The formal name of South Korea is the Republic of Korea.
It wasn’t an error in the order of introduction between two Koreas. When the time came to introduce North Korea, it was announced accurately as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Speaking to Bach on the phone, Yoon said many South Koreans were dismayed by the gaffe.
“I hope the rest of the Olympic Games will proceed successfully and serve as a true festival for everyone around the world,” Yoon told Bach, according to Jung.
The next day, the IOC issued a statement on the matter.
“The problem was identified as a human error, for which the IOC is deeply sorry,” it said in the statement. “The IOC president took the opportunity to congratulate the president of the Republic of Korea on the country’s first medal at these Games, which was a silver medal won by the 10m air rifle mixed team.”
Bach also sent a letter of apology to Culture, Sports and Tourism Minsiter Yu In-chon, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung and Chief of Mission of the Korean delegation Jeong Gang-sun.
The blunder sparked angry reactions from many South Koreans, including leading figures in sports.
Lee, who is also an IOC member, described it as an unprecedented situation he had neither seen nor heard of during his long career in sports administration.
“There have been instances where Taegeukgi (South Korea’s national flag) was hung upside down. But calling our country North Korea, in both English and French, was absurd and unimaginable to me,” Lee told reporters in Paris.
Jang Mi-ran, second vice minister of sports and the 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, also expressed regret.
Despite the apology, another mistake was made regarding a South Korean medalist.
When South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk won his country’s first gold medal in Paris after defeating Fares Ferjani of Tunisia in the men’s individual sabre fencing, Saturday, the organizers misspelled his name in their official Instagram page, saying “Oh Sangku” achieved that feat.
After many pointed it out in the comment section, the organizers later corrected the error ― without a word of apology or explanation.
The Summer Games in Paris gained international spotlight for its unique ceremony held on a river and Celine Dion’s dazzling performance. But the global sporting event has been marred by some basic, preventable errors.
In another incident during the opening ceremony, the Olympic flag featuring the five rings was upside down when it was hoisted toward the end of the event.