"They put their hands over their hearts, but North Korea's national anthem played, so they hurriedly lowered them" ... Nagoya Asian Games hit by worst broadcast fiasco

[Financial News]   The incident has rendered meaningless the title of Asia's largest sporting festival.
The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games saw a major broadcast blunder and one of the worst diplomatic faux pas imaginable: North Korea's national anthem was played for the Republic of Korea national team instead of South Korea's national anthem.
According to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) on the 18th, North Korea's national anthem rang out during the pre-match ceremony for the Group A men's hockey match between the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh at Kakamigahara Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The incident resulted from a grave error by the event's organizing committee.
As in other international matches, including soccer and basketball, hockey games begin with both teams lined up while their national anthems are played. According to the scheduled order, the Republic of Korea's national anthem was supposed to be played first. Instead, the anthem coming through the speakers was North Korea's.
The South Korean players, who had placed their hands over their hearts while waiting for South Korea's national anthem, were startled by the unfamiliar melody and hurriedly lowered their hands. The players and coaching staff immediately pointed out the error to officials, throwing the venue into momentary confusion.
After recognizing what had happened, the organizing committee hastily stopped playing North Korea's national anthem and tried to contain the situation by playing Bangladesh's national anthem first. South Korea's national anthem was then played just before the match began, creating a farcical and chaotic sequence.
A KSOC official said, "We collected evidence, including footage from the venue, to accurately assess what happened and ultimately confirmed that North Korea's national anthem was played," adding, "We are preparing to lodge a strong official protest with the event's organizing committee."
This is not the first time that the Republic of Korea delegation has been bizarrely mistaken for North Korea on the international stage. Just two years ago, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, the venue announcer introduced the South Korean delegation, which was entering along the Seine, as North Korea in both French and English—"République populaire démocratique de Corée" and "DPRK," respectively—sparking global controversy. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the time, personally apologized and moved to defuse the situation.
Before the nightmare in Paris has even faded, public outrage among South Korean fans is expected to intensify over yet another absurd breakdown in event operations, this time in neighboring Japan.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter