PARIS/SEOUL – International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach apologised to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday over an incorrect introduction of the South Korea delegation as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Yoon’s office said.
In their 10-minute phone conversation, Yoon expressed his regret over the incident and asked Bach to prevent a recurrence of similar cases.
“As people of the country that has hosted the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games, along with the FIFA World Cup, South Koreans were quite surprised and dismayed with this incident,” Yonhap news agency reported the presidential office quoted Yoon as saying.
This was in reference to a gaffe during Friday’s opening ceremony in Paris. As the South Korean team floated down the Seine River, the delegation was introduced with the official name for North Korea,
“Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” in both French and English, rather than South Korea’s official name of “Republic of Korea.”
Later in the ceremony, North Korea was correctly introduced with its official name.
“I’d like to ask you to apologise for this incident through media and social media, and to ensure against a recurrence of similar incidents,” Yoon added, according to his office. “I hope that the rest of the Olympic Games will proceed successfully and serve as the true festival for the people around the world.”
According to Yoon’s office, Bach offered his “sincere and heartfelt apology” for what he said was “an inexcusable incident.”
Bach also told the president that he understood Yoon’s concerns and vowed that the IOC would take all measures necessary while also preventing a recurrence.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Bach called Yoon in the presence of Lee Kee-heung, head of the KSOC and an IOC member; Etienne Thobois, CEO of the Paris Olympics organising committee; Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of the Olympic Broadcasting Services; and Kim Jong-hoon, former diplomat and an honorary ambassador for the KSOC.
Hours after the opening ceremony, the IOC posted an apology on its official Korean X page, but not on its English site. The case sparked angry responses in South Korea, and some lashed out at the IOC for its “short” apology. – July 28, 2024
