What happened at the South Korea vs Bangladesh hockey match at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games?

Before South Korea’s men’s Pool A match against Bangladesh, the North Korean anthem was played by mistake at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. The organizers later played Bangladesh’s anthem and then South Korea’s anthem.

How did the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee respond to the anthem mistake at the Asian Games?

The KSOC lodged an official complaint with the organizing committee right after the incident. It asked for an official apology and prevention of a repeat, and later said two officials had visited the South Korean team office to apologize.

What did KSOC President Ryu Seung-min say after the anthem mix-up?

Ryu said it was absolutely unacceptable for a national anthem to be performed incorrectly at an international multisport event. He said the KSOC would keep pressing for a thorough investigation and measures to prevent recurrence.

Organizing committee apologizes for playing N. Korean anthem at S. Korean hockey match

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Summary

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games organizing committee apologized in Nagoya, Japan, after the North Korean anthem was mistakenly played at a South Korean hockey match on Friday. The anthem mix-up happened before South Korea’s men’s Pool A game against Bangladesh at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee lodged an official complaint and demanded an apology and prevention of a repeat. KSOC President Ryu Seung-min called the error unacceptable and urged a thorough investigation.

Key Facts

The match was South Korea’s men’s Pool A game against Bangladesh at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan.
The North Korean anthem was played instead of South Korea’s anthem before the game, and Bangladesh’s anthem was played afterward before the South Korean anthem was finally played.
Around 9 p.m. on Friday, two officials from the Asian Games organizing committee visited the South Korean team office and offered an official apology.
KSOC President Ryu Seung-min said the KSOC would keep making efforts to help South Korean athletes focus on their competitions and demanded measures to prevent a recurrence.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 19, 2026 10:00 am KST

Players line up before a Pool A match of men's hockey between South Korea, right, and Bangladesh at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan, Friday. Courtesy of Korea Hockey Association

NAGOYA, Japan — The organizing committee of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has apologized for mistakenly playing the North Korean anthem at a South Korean hockey match, the South Korean sports governing body said Saturday.

Before the men's Pool A match against Bangladesh at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan, on Friday, the North Korean anthem was played instead of South Korea's.

The match organizers then played Bangladesh's anthem before playing the South Korean anthem later.

Right after the incident, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) lodged an official complaint with the organizing committee over the anthem mix-up, demanding an official apology and prevention of a recurrence.

"Around 9 p.m. later that day, two officials from the Asian Games organizing committee visited the South Korean team office and offered an official apology for the error in playing the anthem," the KSOC said in a release.

KSOC President Ryu Seung-min said the KSOC will keep making efforts to help South Korean athletes focus entirely on their competitions without being distracted by issues unrelated to the games.

"It is absolutely unacceptable for the national anthem, a symbol of our nation, to be performed incorrectly at an international multisport event, and we view this matter with the utmost seriousness," Ryu said.

"We will continue to demand that the organizing committee thoroughly investigate the cause of this incident and implement measures to prevent its recurrence."

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