Organizing committee apologizes for playing N. Korean anthem at S. Korean hockey match

NAGOYA, Japan — The organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have expressed regret for inadvertently playing the anthem of North Korea during a South Korean hockey game, according to the South Korean sports governing body. This occurred on Friday at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan, during the men's Pool A match against Bangladesh.

Instead of the South Korean anthem, the North Korean anthem was played at the start of the match. The match organizers then proceeded to play Bangladesh's anthem before transitioning to the South Korean anthem. Immediately following the incident, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) formally complained to the event organizers about the anthem mix-up, demanding an official apology and measures to prevent such an error from happening again.

Around 9 p.m. the same day, two representatives from the Asian Games organizing committee paid a visit to the South Korean team office to personally extend an apology for the mistake. KSOC President Ryu Seung-min stated that the KSOC remains committed to supporting South Korean athletes by ensuring they can concentrate solely on their competitions without any distractions unrelated to their performance.