The IOC sincerely apologies for mistakenly identifying South Korea’s 143 athletes as North Korean during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. This error was a human mistake and occurred in both French and English announcements. The misidentification is politically sensitive due to the ongoing tension between the two Koreas, which are technically still at war. IOC president Thomas Bach called South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to offer an apology. Pyongyang sent thousands of balloons filled with trash to South Korea earlier this year, leading to increased tensions. The 143 athletes are competing in 21 events, while North Korea has sent 16 athletes after skipping the 2020 Tokyo Olympics over Covid-19 concerns and being banned from the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/29/asia/north-south-korea-olympics-opening-ceremony-apology-intl-hnk/index.html