Asian Games: South Koreas National Anthem Mistakenly Played, Organizing Committee Issues Apology

Nagoya, September 19 (Daily Kiran) : The organizing committee for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya has issued an apology after a serious mix-up occurred during a hockey match involving South Korea. On September 19, it was reported that North Korea’s national anthem was played in place of South Korea’s before a men’s Pool A match against Bangladesh at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium.

Following the error, the match organizers played the Bangladeshi anthem before finally rectifying the situation by playing South Korea’s anthem. The Korean Sports and Olympic Committee (KSOC) promptly lodged an official complaint with the organizing committee, demanding an apology and assurance that such incidents would not happen again.

Later that evening, two officials from the Asian Games organizing committee visited the South Korean team’s office to deliver a formal apology for the anthem mistake. KSOC President Ryu Seung-min emphasized the importance of allowing South Korean athletes to focus solely on their competitions, free from distractions caused by unrelated issues.

Ryu stated, “It is completely unacceptable for our national symbol, the anthem, to be played incorrectly at an international multi-sport event. We take this matter very seriously and will continue to demand a thorough investigation into the cause of this incident, along with measures to prevent it from occurring again.”