South Korea Mislabeled as North Korea at Paris Olympics Opening

South Korea expressed regret after its athletes were mistakenly introduced as being from North Korea at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologized for the error. South Korea's vice minister for sports and culture requested assurances that such errors would not recur.

South Korea expressed regret Friday after its athletes were mistakenly introduced as hailing from rival North Korea during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, and has demanded assurances from organisers that the mistake will not happen again.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) quickly apologised for the mix-up, which occurred when the team was introduced during a boat parade on the Seine as the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' - North Korea's official name - in both French and English. The same introduction was made for the actual North Korean delegation.

Jang Mi-ran, South Korea's vice minister for sports and culture, who was in Paris, has requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach to address the issue. In a statement, the ministry said, 'We express regret that the country was introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games when the athletes of the Republic of Korea were entering.'

Jang told South Korean media that Bach planned to speak with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday to personally apologise for the incident. South Korea's National Olympic Committee immediately referred the matter to the Games' organisers, demanding that the error not be repeated.

The IOC admitted the mistake and issued 'a deep apology' on its Korean language handle on X. South Korea's delegation includes 143 athletes competing in 21 events, while North Korea, returning to the Games for the first time since Rio 2016, has sent 16 athletes.

South Korean social media users voiced their displeasure over the incident, with some criticizing the IOC's one-sentence apology as insincere. The two Koreas, already strained over the North's weapons programmes, are highly sensitive about their political integrity.

(With inputs from agencies.)