With millions of people around the world watching the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, an embarrassing misstep happened as South Korea was wrongly introduced as North Korea. So what happened and how did Koreans respond?
Based on alphabetical order in French, South Korea, by its official name, "Republique de Coree," was the 48th nation in the river parade. When the South Korean delegation came into the spotlight, the French-speaking announcer said through the PA system, "Republique Populaire democratique de Coree,"
Of course, this was followed by the English announcement, "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," which is the official English designation of North Korea.
Some of TikTok's most loved content creators, have also taken their stance on this:
Korean culture has also heavily been featured at the 2024 Paris Olympics let's check out what's been going on!
However, the subtitle on the broadcast feed, shown on giant screens set along the river and on television for international viewers, correctly showed "Republic of Korea" in English. This meant thousands of South Koreans were understandably frustrated and upset by this mistake.
Of course, this is not one of the only complaints about the handling of the 2024 Paris Olympics, as many of the international teams, have complained about the sleeping standards for athletes, with cheap carboard beds and lack of air-conditioning in the specially designed athlete Olympic village. In a response from the committee, it was said "Unlike metal or wooden beds that often end up in landfills, he adds, cardboard beds are fully recyclable. After the games, they can be broken down and turned into new products, minimizing waste." As true as this may be, for National teams and with the world watching, it only brings negative views towards France.
For now, we are left with the question, should France have won the bid for hosting the Olympics?
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