07/27/24 04:24:00
Printable Page
07/27 04:22 CDT Olympic organizers apologize for introducing South Korean
athletes as North Korea
Olympic organizers apologize for introducing South Korean athletes as North
Korea
By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) --- Olympic Games organizers said they "deeply apologize" for
introducing South Korea's athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony
in Paris.
As the South Korean athletes waved their nation's flag on a boat floating down
the Seine River Friday evening, they were announced in both French and English
as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. South Korea is the Republic of
Korea.
"We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean
team during the opening ceremony broadcast," the International Olympic
Committee said in a post on X in Korean.
The South Korean Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism Vice Minister Jang Mi
Ran requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach over the incident, the
ministry said in a statement Saturday. It said the ministry also asked South
Korea's Foreign Ministry to file "a strong government-level complaint" with the
French government.
The statement said South Korea's Olympic committee separately asked the
organizers of the Paris Games to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
The Korean peninsula has been bitterly divided into South Korea and North Korea
since the end of World War II in 1945.
The blue sign on the boat carrying the South Korean athletes did show the
correct name.
____
Associated Press writer Kim Hyung-jin in Seoul contributed reporting.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
|
