Organisers have apologised for playing the North Korean national anthem for the South Korean men’s hockey team at the Asian Games in Japan.
South Korea, who thrashed Bangladesh 5-0, looked confused as the incorrect national anthem was played.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Bangladesh’s national anthem followed before South Korea’s actual anthem was played.
A stadium announcer did apologise for the mistake.
“This is a really serious problem. When we protested, they said, ‘We’re sorry. It wasn’t that it wasn’t prepared; there was a mistake on the part of those responsible for playing it’,” South Korea coach Min Tae-seok said.
“But this is something that simply should never happen.”
North Korea’s national anthem, along with other symbols of the secretive state, are banned in South Korea.
The two countries are still technically at war, after the 1950-53 conflict between the two ended without a peace treaty.
The build-up to the Asian Games, which officially starts on Saturday, has already seen complaints from teams about the quality and amount of accommodation.
A member of the South Korea basketball team posted a video of a leaking pipe and soaked floor in his room, with the caption: “Please help me.”
Some teams were also stranded at the airport for up to six hours when they landed this week.
Field hockey at the Asian Games started on Friday and runs until 3 October.
