The Korean delegation sails on a boat on the Seine River during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, July 26. Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Saturday apologized to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for incorrectly introducing the South Korean delegation as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Yoon’s office said.
In their 10-minute phone conversation, Yoon expressed regret over the incident and asked Bach to prevent similar cases from happening again.
“As citizens of the country that has hosted the Summer and Winter Olympics as well as the FIFA World Cup, we South Koreans are quite shocked and dismayed by this incident,” Yoon was quoted as saying by the presidential office.
This was in reference to a gaffe during Friday’s opening ceremony in Paris. As the South Korean team sailed down the River Seine, the delegation was introduced by North Korea’s official name, “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” in both French and English, instead of South Korea’s official name, “Republic of Korea.”
Later in the ceremony, North Korea was properly introduced by its official name.
“I would like to ask them to apologize for this incident through the media and social media, and to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again,” Yoon added, according to his office. “I hope that the rest of the Olympic Games will be held successfully and serve as a true celebration for people around the world.”
According to Yoon’s office, Bach offered his “sincere and heartfelt apologies” for what he said was “an inexcusable incident.”
Bach also told the president that he understood Yoon’s concerns and promised that the IOC would take all necessary measures to prevent that from happening again.
The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Bach called Yoon in the presence of Lee Kee-heung, director of KSOC and IOC member; Etienne Thobois, CEO of the Paris Olympic organizing committee; Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services; and Kim Jong-hoon, a former diplomat and honorary ambassador of KSOC.
In this photo provided by the Korean Olympic and Sport Committee, Thomas Bach, second from right, president of the International Olympic Committee, speaks with Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Paris on July 27, to apologize for an incident during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in which South Korea was mistakenly introduced as North Korea. Yonhap
According to KSOC, Bach, who was born in West Germany, said he could relate to the feelings of the South Korean people as someone who grew up in a divided country.
During a press conference on Saturday morning, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “We sincerely apologise. An operational error was made. We can do no more than apologise, on a night when so much was at stake, for having made this mistake.”
Hours after the opening ceremony, the IOC posted an apology on its official South Korean website, but not on its English-language site. The case sparked angry reactions in South Korea, with some lashing out at the IOC for its “brief” apology.
Speaking to South Korean reporters in Paris, KSOC president Lee said the IOC was “taking this incident seriously.”
“There have been instances where our national flag, Taegeukgi, has been hung upside down, but for our country to be called North Korea in both English and French is so absurd that I would never have imagined it,” Lee said. “I asked the IOC and the Paris organizing committee to apologize directly and sincerely for this.”
Lee said he also asked South Korean coaches to ensure their athletes are not affected by the incident, “as administration and competition are completely different things.”
Jang Mi-ran, second vice minister of sports and a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, expressed “tremendous regret as a South Korean person and as a vice minister of the relevant cabinet ministry.”
“There should not have been a mistake in such a sensitive area,” Jang said. “Since we have three IOC members, I hope they will ensure that incidents of this nature do not happen again.”
Jang and Lee were scheduled to meet Bach and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet in Paris at 5:30 p.m. Saturday (local time) or 12:30 a.m. Monday (South Korean time) to discuss the issue. (Yonhap)
