IOC apologizes to South Korea for Paris Olympics blunder

A major goof-up occurred during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday night.

Just as the 143-strong South Korean delegation paraded on their boats on the River Seine, the vessel carrying the athletes was accidentally introduced by an announcer as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" — the official name of North Korea in English.

To further complicate matters, the announcer used the same name to introduce the 16-team North Korean contingent. North Korea has sent athletes to the Games for the first time since 2016 after sitting out the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to political unrest.

The error caused an uproar among South Korean government officials, who issued a statement demanding an apology from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"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," read a statement from South Korea.

According to Reuters , South Korea also "demanded assurances" from the IOC that the blunder would not happen again at the Games, and even sought a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach. The report added that Bach will personally meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to offer an apology on behalf of the IOC.

"It was clearly deeply regrettable and we apologize wholeheartedly," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told reporters on Saturday.

The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony was a three-and-a-half-hour spectacle on the River Seine, which saw 85 boats carrying nearly 7,000 athletes from 205 countries.