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Olympic organisers have issued a “deep apology” after South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony in Paris.<\/p>\n
As the excited, flag-waving team floated down the River Seine, both French and English announcers introduced them as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” – the official name of North Korea.<\/p>\n
The same name was then used – correctly – when North Korea’s delegation sailed past.<\/p>\n
The two Koreas have been divided since the end of World War Two, with tensions between the states further escalating recently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The subtitle which ran across the bottom of the television broadcast showed the correct title, however.<\/p>\n
The South Korean sports ministry said it planned to lodge a “strong complaint with France on a government level” over the embarrassing gaffe.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the ministry expressed “regret over the announcement… where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team.”<\/p>\n
The statement added that the second vice sports minister, Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, had demanded a meeting with Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.<\/p>\n
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an apology on its official Korean-language X account<\/a>, saying: “We would like to offer a deep apology over the mistake that occurred in the introduction of the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony.”<\/p>\n South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, has 143 athletes in its Olympic team this year, competing across 21 sports.<\/p>\n North Korea has sent 16 athletes. This is the first time it has competed in the games since Rio 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n