"South Korea's Anthem Instead of China's?" 'Absurd Mistake' at Asian Para Games After Asian Games in Japan

Three anthem playback errors in one day
Awards ceremony to be held again
Organizing committee apologizes for repeated operational mistakes

Following an absurd incident at the Asian Games in Japan, where North Korea’s national anthem was played instead of South Korea’s, a series of anthem playback errors has sparked controversy at the ongoing Asian Para Games, including South Korea’s national anthem being played instead of China’s. Although officials issued an apology after a similar problem at an earlier event, the same mistake has happened again, prompting criticism of the organizing committee’s operational and management systems.

Controversy is mounting at the ongoing Asian Para Games as a series of national anthem playback errors have occurred, including the Korean national anthem being played instead of China's. Xinhua News Agency-Yonhap News

Yonhap News reported on October 21, citing Kyodo News and Japanese media, that Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, acting chair of the organizing committee for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, apologized at a press conference that day for three anthem playback errors in a single day, October 19. Earlier, at a women’s sitting volleyball match between China and Iran on October 19, South Korea’s national anthem was played at the moment when China’s anthem should have been performed before the match. After playing for about five seconds, the organizing committee noticed the error, stopped the music and played China’s national anthem.

A similar incident occurred at the awards ceremonies for para taekwondo events held the same day. In the women’s event, a Mongolian athlete won, but Iran’s national anthem was played instead of Mongolia’s at the ceremony. After the Mongolian delegation pointed out the error, the organizing committee stopped the playback and played Mongolia’s national anthem. In the men’s event, a Taiwanese athlete won the gold medal, but Iran’s national anthem was played during the ceremony. The anthem that should have been played was the anthem of the Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee, which applies to Taiwanese athletes.

The organizing committee acknowledged the mistake and apologized in response to the Taiwanese delegation’s complaint, and decided to hold the awards ceremony again on October 21. The committee said the incident was caused by an incorrect setting in the music playback software.

The problem is that this was not the first such mistake. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which concluded on October 4, an anthem was also played in error. Before a men’s hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh, North Korea’s national anthem rang out in the stadium instead of South Korea’s. The organizing committee formally apologized for the incident and said it would take steps to prevent a recurrence.

In particular, the organizing committee had introduced preventive measures after the earlier incident, including checking music titles visually, but the same type of problem has reportedly recurred at the Asian Para Games. The committee plans to introduce additional measures, such as having multiple staff members cross-check the selections before music is played.

At a press conference on October 21, Mayor Hirosawa expressed regret, saying, "An anthem was played incorrectly at the Asian Games, too, and we reviewed our operating procedures, but the same thing has happened again." He added, "It is unacceptable that the problem has recurred. I sincerely apologize to the athletes involved and everyone concerned," and said he would again verify the circumstances of the incident and the effectiveness of the existing measures to prevent a recurrence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.