The Asian Games organizers are apologizing for the error after North Korea’s national anthem was accidentally played prior to South Korea’s men’s hockey game with Bangladesh in Japan.
The incident occurred on Friday during the pre-match ceremony at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium where the South Korean players were in line. The North Korean anthem was played over the stadium speakers and left players visibly confused, instead of South Korea’s anthem.
The organisers then played the national anthem of the country of Bangladesh and after that the national anthem of South Korea. The South Korean players were unable to perform the anthem ceremony in the usual way before the match due to the timing of the match.
The stadium announcer immediately apologized for the mistake. South Korea’s coach Min Tae-seok said the incident was serious and that this shouldn’t have occurred at an international sporting event.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee subsequently submitted an official complaint to the Asian Games organizing committee, requesting an explanation, an official apology and measures to avoid the incident in the future.
Later, two of the organizing committee’s officials visited the South Korean delegation’s office and made a formal apology over the anthem mixup. It further indicated that it will take efforts to ensure that such a thing does not happen again.
The incident coincided with the tough run up to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which some delegations have also complained about issues with accommodation and transportation and registration. The opening ceremonies of the Games were on Saturday in Nagoya.
South Korea did not have to worry about anything before the match as they rolled over Bangladesh 5-0 in the Pool A clash.
