South Korean sports officials are seeking a meeting with IOC chief Thomas Bach because their country has been mistaken for North Korea, South Korea’s sports ministry said on July 27, Yonhap news agency reported.
Jang Miran, the second vice minister of sports, who attended the ceremony in the French capital on Friday, is reported to have asked the IOC to arrange a meeting with Bach over the incident, and asked the country’s chef de mission, or chief delegate, Chung Gang, to promptly demand a quick response from the IOC and the local organizing committee.
As the South Korean delegation sailed down the River Seine and took center stage as the 48th nation represented at the games, a French-speaking announcer said over the loudspeaker: “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” followed by an announcement in English: “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” which is North Korea’s official English designation.
“We have also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to lodge a serious complaint with France at the governmental level.”South Korea’s sports ministry said.
The agency notes that the DPRK was correctly named when it was introduced as the 153rd nation in French alphabetical order.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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