South Korea's National Anthem Played for Chinese Team: Another Anthem Mix-up Blunder at Asian Para Games in Japan

▲ Prior to the men's hockey Group A preliminary match 1 between the South Korean national team and Bangladesh held at the Kakamigahara Green Stadium in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, on September 18, a mishap occurred where North Korea's national anthem was played instead of South Korea's Aegukga during the national ceremony.

Following similar incidents during the Asian Games, another blunder involving the wrong national anthems being played occurred at the ongoing Asian Para Games in Japan, Kyodo News and other outlets reported today (October 21).

Ichiro Hirosawa, the Mayor of Nagoya who serves as the acting president of the organizing committee for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, announced that three anthem-related mistakes occurred on October 19 alone.

During the women's sitting volleyball match between China and Iran held on the afternoon of October 19, South Korea's national anthem, Aegukga, rang out instead of China's national anthem before the match.

The organizing committee realized that the wrong anthem was playing and switched to the Chinese national anthem midway through.

A similar mistake happened on the same day during a taekwondo medal ceremony.

In the women's event, an athlete from Mongolia won, and in the men's event, an athlete from Chinese Taipei won, but Iran's national anthem was played for both.

During the women's ceremony, the Iranian anthem was stopped midway and replaced with the Mongolian anthem, while a separate medal ceremony for the men's event was re-held on October 21.

The organizing committee explained, "The cause was a settings error in the music playback software."

Prior to the Para Games, during the preceding 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, an absurd accident also occurred when North Korea's national anthem was played instead of South Korea's Aegukga ahead of the men's hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh.

In response, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee lodged a protest with the competition's organizing committee, which later issued an official apology.

Mayor Hirosawa apologized that day, saying, "I have no words to excuse such problems happening all over again."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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