[Nagoya AG] Organizing Committee Officially Apologizes for Playing North Korean National Anthem Instead of South Korea's: "Preventing a Recurrence"

[Financial News] The Games Organizing Committee has officially apologized to the South Korean national team delegation over the incident in which the North Korean national anthem was played instead of South Korea's during a men's hockey match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said on the 19th that two officials, including the director in charge of participating countries at the Organizing Committee, visited the South Korean national team delegation's office at around 9 p.m. the previous day and apologized for the error in playing the national anthem.
The incident occurred the previous day before the Group A men's hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh at Kakamigahara Green Stadium in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. South Korea's national anthem was supposed to be played before the match, but the North Korean national anthem was played at the stadium.
The South Korean national team delegation responded immediately. It demanded an explanation of the specific circumstances and cause of the error from the Organizing Committee, while also delivering an official letter of protest in the name of delegation chief Lee Sang-hyun. It further called for an official apology from the Organizing Committee, a thorough investigation into the cause, and measures to prevent a recurrence.
This is not the first dispute between the delegation and the Organizing Committee. The South Korean national team delegation had previously visited the Organizing Committee to protest a performance related to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and delivered an official letter.
Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, said, "The national anthem, a symbol of the country, must never be played incorrectly at an international multisport event, and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness."
He went on to emphasize, "Above all, we will do our utmost to protect and support the delegation so that our athletes can focus fully on their competitions without being affected by issues unrelated to the games," adding, "We will continue to demand that the Organizing Committee thoroughly determine the cause and take measures to prevent a recurrence so that similar incidents do not happen again." 

[email protected] Yoon Hong-jip Reporter