{
  "id": 8345756,
  "title": "Organizing committee apologizes for playing N. Korean anthem at S. Korean hockey match",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/organizing-committee-apologizes-for-playing-n-korean-anthem-at-s",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-19T01:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260919/organizing-committee-apologizes-for-playing-n-korean-anthem-at-s-korean-hockey-match"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nInstead 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.\n\nAround 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.",
  "summary": "NAGOYA, Japan — The organizing committee of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has apologized for mistakenly playing the North Korean anthem at a South Korean hockey match, the South Korean sports governing body said Saturday. Before the men's Pool A match against Bangladesh at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan, on Friday, the North Korean anthem was played instead of South Korea's. The…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Korean men, women win 1st games in field hockey",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/korean-men-women-win-1st-games-in-field-hockey",
        "published": "2026-09-18T07:22:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "They’re not playing our song! Wrong Korean anthem played at field hockey match at Asian Games",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/theyre-not-playing-our-song-wrong-korean-anthem-played-at-field",
        "published": "2026-09-18T07:29:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "(LEAD) (Asiad) S. Korean men, women win 1st games in field hockey",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/lead-asiad-s-korean-men-women-win-1st-games-in-field-hockey",
        "published": "2026-09-18T07:58:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
        "title": "Wrong Korean Anthem Played at Field Hockey Match at Asian Games",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/wrong-korean-anthem-played-at-field-hockey-match-at-asian-games",
        "published": "2026-09-18T10:16:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "'Terribly sorry': Wrong Korean anthem played at Asian Games hockey",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/terribly-sorry-wrong-korean-anthem-played-at-asian-games-hockey",
        "published": "2026-09-18T15:13:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}