(Olympics) S. Korea introduced as N. Korea during opening ceremony, nat’l Olympic committee mulls response

In an embarrassing misstep during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, South Korea was introduced to tens of thousands spectators as North Korea. In the first Summer Games opening ceremony to take place outside a stadium, athletes floated down the iconic Seine River on boats. South Korea shared its boat with delegations from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Cook Islands, Costa Rica and Ivory Coast. Based on alphabetical order in French, South Korea, by its official name, "Republique de Coree," was the 48th nation in the parade. And as the South Korean delegation came into the spotlight, the French-speaking announcer said through the PA system, "Republique populaire democratique de Coree," followed by the English announcement, "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," which is the official English designation of North Korea. The subtitle on the broadcast feed, shown on giant screens set along the river and on television for international viewers, correctly showed "Republic of Korea" in Engl ish. North Korea was the 153rd nation to join the opening ceremony. After learning of the gaffe, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC), South Korea's national Olympic body, convened an emergency meeting in Paris to discuss a possible response. "We found out about the incident during the ceremony and have informed the sports ministry of the situation," a KSOC official said. Source: Yonhap News Agency