South Korea’s men’s hockey team were left confused before their Asian Games match against Bangladesh after organizers mistakenly played North Korea’s national anthem instead of South Korea’s.

The incident occurred on Friday at Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan, as the South Korean players stood in formation ahead of the match. They appeared visibly bemused when the anthem of their long-standing rival began playing.

According to Al Jazeera, the stadium announcer quickly apologised for the mistake and acknowledged that the wrong national anthem had been played.

“We are really sorry, terribly sorry. National anthem for the Republic of Korea, we played a different song,” the announcer said, before apologising again.

The unusual mix-up came shortly before South Korea went on to defeat Bangladesh 5-0 in the Asian Games hockey match.

North Korea’s national anthem and other symbols associated with the country are banned in South Korea under restrictions linked to the two countries’ unresolved conflict. The Korean War, fought from 1950 to 1953, ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war.

The Asian Games organising committee had not immediately issued a public explanation for the anthem error.

The incident was also reported against a backdrop of organisational complaints at the Games involving the South Korean delegation. South Korean basketball players have raised concerns about the size of their accommodation, while transportation problems have affected preparations for the men’s football team, the defending champions.

BOB Post