Asian Games 2026: Aichi-Nagoya Organisers Apologise After North Korean Anthem Played During South Korea Hockey Match

Nagoya, Japan - The organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have issued an apology for playing the North Korean anthem during a South Korean hockey match, according to the South Korean sports governing body. The incident occurred on Friday at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan, before the men's Pool A match between South Korea and Bangladesh. Instead of playing South Korea's anthem, the North Korean anthem was mistakenly played, followed by the Bangladeshi anthem and then the South Korean anthem.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) lodged a formal complaint with the organizing committee, demanding an official apology and measures to prevent such an error from happening again. Around 9 p.m. that day, two officials from the Asian Games organizing committee visited the South Korean team office and offered a formal apology for the mistake.

KSOC President Ryu Seung-min emphasized that the national anthem, a symbol of the nation, should not be performed incorrectly at an international multisport event, and the committee views this matter with the utmost seriousness. The committee will continue to demand that the organizing committee thoroughly investigate the incident and implement measures to prevent its recurrence.