During Friday’s Olympic opening, both South and North Korea were presented under North Korea’s official name, “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”.
The mistake has not been appreciated in South Korea. The day after the inauguration, the South Korean Sports Ministry asked for a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach, and they also asked the Foreign Ministry to make a strong complaint at the government level.
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Bach was called upon to act
A meeting with Bach has now taken place, in telephone form. In a statement informs Yoon Suk Yeol’s spokesperson Jeong Hye Jeon that the South Korean president and Bach had a ten-minute phone call on Saturday evening, in which Bach expressed regret for what happened.
“Something unforgivable happened, and I humbly and respectfully apologize,” Bach said, according to the statement.
The South Korean president is said to have then called on Bach to ensure that something similar will not be repeated.
– I understand your concerns well, and I will take all possible measures and try to prevent something like this from happening again, Bach is said to have replied.