IOC chief apologizes to President Yoon over opening ceremony gaffe

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach apologized 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," 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 apologize 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 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 organizing committee; Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of the Olympic Broadcasting Services; and Kim Jong-hoon, former diplomat and an honorary ambassador for the KSOC.

According to the KSOC, Bach, born in West Germany, said he could relate to feelings of South Korean people as someone who grew up in a divided country.

During an IOC press briefing earlier Saturday, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said: "We apologize wholeheartedly. An operational mistake was made. We can only apologize, in an evening of so many moving parts, that this mistake was made."

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.

Speaking with South Korean journalists in Paris, KSOC President Lee said the IOC is "taking this incident seriously."

"There have been instances where our national flag, Taegeukgi, was hung upside down, but having our country called North Korea in both English and French is so preposterous that I could never have imagined that," Lee said. "I asked the IOC and the Paris organizing committee to directly and sincerely apologize for this."

Lee said he also asked South Korean coaches to make sure their athletes won't be affected by the incident, "since administration and competition are completely different things."

Jang Mi-ran, second vice minister of sports and the 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, expressed "tremendous regret as a South Korean person and as the vice minister of the relevant Cabinet ministry."

"There shouldn't have been a mistake in such a sensitive area," Jang said. "Since we have three IOC members, I hope they will ensure against a recurrence of incidents of this nature."

Jang and Lee were scheduled to meet with Bach and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet in Paris at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, or 12:30 a.m. Monday, to discuss the issue. (Yonhap)