Organizers apologize after North Korea's anthem played instead of South Korea's at Asian Games hockey match

The organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has issued a formal apology after North Korea's national anthem was mistakenly played instead of South Korea's before a men's hockey match.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said Saturday that two organizing committee officials, including the director in charge of participating nations, visited the South Korean delegation's office at around 9 p.m. Friday to apologize for the anthem error.

The incident occurred before South Korea's men's hockey Group A match against Bangladesh at Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, on Friday, when North Korea's anthem was played in place of South Korea's "Aegukga."

The South Korean delegation immediately demanded an explanation from the organizing committee and sent a formal letter of protest signed by Chef de Mission Lee Sang-hyun.

The delegation also called for a formal apology from the organizing committee, a thorough investigation into the cause, and measures to prevent a recurrence.

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min said the misplaying of the national anthem — a symbol of the nation — should never happen at an international multi-sport event, and that the committee views the matter with the utmost gravity.

South Korea had also previously visited the organizing committee to file a formal protest over a performance involving Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The controversy arose Tuesday when a performer dressed as Toyotomi appeared in the opening act of a large-scale cruise ship welcome ceremony organized by the committee. Toyotomi was the architect of Japan's invasions of Korea in the 1590s.

Yoo said the committee is doing everything it can to protect and support the athletes so they can focus entirely on competition without being affected by off-field issues. He vowed to continue pressing the organizing committee for a thorough investigation and concrete preventive measures to ensure similar incidents do not recur.