IOC ‘sincerely’ apologizes for misidentifying South Korean athletes as North Korean

The International Olympic Committee apologized over the weekend after mistakenly introducing South Korean athletes as North Korean at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday.

As the South Korean delegation of 143 athletes floated down the Seine River, they were misidentified in both French and English as representatives of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — the official name of North Korea — causing significant embarrassment and dismay. In a call with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, IOC President Thomas Bach “apologized sincerely” and assured steps to prevent similar errors in the future.