South Korea’s Olympic team. File
| Photo Credit: AP

South Korea’s Sports Ministry on July 27 expressed regret over a gaffe during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in which South Korean athletes were incorrectly introduced as North Korean. Further, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologised for the gaffe, on July 27.

“We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account.

As the South Korean delegation rode a boat on the Seine River and entered the ceremony as the 48th participating nation, the French-speaking presenter introduced them using the official name for North Korea: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French, then “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.

The error sparked displeased reactions in South Korea, a global cultural and technological powerhouse that is technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North, as the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

“South Korea’s Sports Ministry expresses regret over the announcement during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team,” it said in a statement.

“Second Vice-Sports Minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has asked for a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter,” it added.

The Sports Ministry has also asked the Foreign Ministry to “deliver a strong protest to the French side” over the issue.

South Korea’s National Olympic Committee plans to meet with the Paris Olympics Organising Committee and the IOC to voice their protest, request measures to prevent a recurrence, and send an official letter of protest under the name of the head of its delegation, according to the Sports Ministry.

During the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, North Korea, which joined the ceremony as the 153rd nation, was correctly introduced with the country’s official name.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North bolstering military ties with Russia while sending thousands of trash-carrying balloons to the South.

In response, Seoul’s military blasts K-pop and anti-regime messages from border loudspeakers and recently resumed live-fire drills on border islands and near the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean peninsula.

This photograph shows the Eiffel Tower, decorated with the Olympic rings for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, on July 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Thousands of French security forces locked down a six-kilometre (four-mile) stretch of central Paris on Thursday ahead of the hugely complex Olympics opening ceremony next week.

The opening parade on July 26 that will see athletes sail down the river Seine led to the closure of central water-side residential districts to most vehicles from 5:00 am (0300 GMT) on Thursday.

Traffic on surrounding boulevards was noticeably lighter than usual as many drivers stayed away, but locals and tourists found themselves blocked at checkpoints, particularly when trying to cross the river.

“It’s a real pain,” cyclist Frank Groner, 52, told AFP after being turned away by police outside the La Samaritaine department store. “I read everything online and thought I’d understood. You can’t cross anywhere!”

With the opening ceremony just eight days away, Paris is transforming itself as it prepares to welcome nearly nine million Olympics ticketholders.

Organisers are putting the finishing touches to the temporary sports stadiums at iconic locations such as the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides or the Place de la Concorde.

Advertising boards, new artwork and Olympics bunting are going up, while the creation of Olympic VIP traffic lanes this week are the latest change to the capital’s gridlocked streets.

“The Olympics have brought us nothing but misery,” taxi driver Rabah Ouanes, 53, complained on Thursday, saying traffic had been dreadful because of all the construction work.

In the run up to the Games, tourist numbers are much lower-than-usual and many Paris residents have headed off on holiday to avoid the disruption.

“Our clients are down by 50 percent,” said Renaud, a senior waiter at the famed Deux Magots cafe in Saint-German-des-Pres, which is inside the new security perimeter set up on Thursday.

“Normally we have people queuing out the door,” he told AFP, gesturing towards the numerous empty seats on the outdoor terrace.

– ‘Super excited’ –

Elsewhere on Thursday, the first athletes arrived at the newly built Olympic Village in the Saint-Ouen northern suburb of the capital which urban planners are hoping to regenerate.

Comprising 40 different low-rise housing blocs, the complex has been built as a showcase of innovative construction techniques using low-carbon concrete, water recycling and reclaimed building materials.

It was also intended to be free of air-conditioning, but Olympic delegations have ordered around 2,500 portable cooling units for their athletes out of fear of high temperatures.

“We are super excited to check how it’s looking,” Australian hockey player Stephanie Kershaw told AFP as she waited to enter the village. “We can’t wait to get started.”

Members of the Argentinian, Brazilian and Kenyan delegations could be seen pushing luggage trolleys into the complex, while British and US athletes are also expected on Thursday.

At full capacity, the village will host 14,500 people including 9,000 athletes.

– Unprecedented ceremony –

Securing the Paris Games remains the biggest priority for French authorities, with Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin insisting Wednesday that there was “no credible threat” against them at this stage.

The opening ceremony has been giving senior police officers cold sweats ever since it was announced in 2021 because of the difficulty of protecting such a large, densely packed urban area.

Around 6,000-7,000 athletes are set to sail down the Seine on nearly a hundred barges and river boats.

It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, with up to 500,000 people set to watch in person from stands, on the river banks and from the overlooking apartments.

The two-tiered security perimeter installed on Thursday has restricted most vehicles from central areas.

Anyone wanting to enter the highest-security “grey zone” along both banks of the Seine, such as residents or tourists with hotel reservations in the area, needs a security pass in the form of a QR code.

River barriers blocking access to the Seine were installed and functioning on Thursday, while a vast no-fly zone will be put in place above the capital on the evening of the ceremony.

The installation of tens of thousands of metal security barriers all along the route of the parade and around the temporary venues has also outraged some Parisians.

Martine Dubois, a 74-year-old living in Saint-Germain-des-Pres, said the Olympics were “a real inconvenience”.

The metro stop she uses for work was one of 10 closed for security reasons on Thursday and the barriers “make you feel like you’re living in a prison,” she told AFP.

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