Asian Games: North Korea’s national anthem played at South Korea’s ice hockey match

South Korean hockey players were left visibly confused after the North Korean national anthem was played instead of the South Korean national anthem before their men’s field hockey match against Bangladesh at the Asian Games on Friday, September 18.

The South Korean team was lined up on the field at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara as the North Korean national anthem began to play. The players seemed unsure of how to react, some standing at attention while others looked around in confusion or put their hands over their hearts.

The stadium announcer introduced the music as the national anthem of the Republic of Korea, but organizers soon discovered that the wrong anthem had been played.

The AP reported that the organizing committee apologized for the error and corrected it. The national anthem of Bangladesh was played first, followed by the anthem of South Korea. South Korean fans during an Asian Games hockey match. (Photo by Reuters)

NO CORRECTION FROM ASIAN GAMES

With the match already running late, the South Korean players were unable to complete the anthem ceremony. The referee ordered the two teams to exchange salutes while the South Korean national anthem was still being played, meaning the players had to start the match before the ceremony was properly completed.

The unusual incident did not affect South Korea on the pitch. In their opening Group A match, they thrashed Bangladesh 5-0, with five different players finding the net.

South Korean news agency Yonhap described the incident as an “unpleasant accident”, while reports from South Korea said the players could not hide their confusion when an unfamiliar anthem was played in front of the South Korean flag.

The men’s field hockey competition began ahead of the official opening ceremony of the Asian Games, which is scheduled for Saturday. Several sports started early to accommodate the busy schedule for the multi-sport event.

HISTORY OF NORTH vs SOUTH KOREA

The mistake has meaning because South Korea and North Korea are not just two countries with similar names. They have been divided since the Korean War and relations between the two governments remain very sensitive.

At international sporting events, the two Koreas compete separately and use different national symbols, including their own flags and anthems. South Korea’s national anthem is “Aegukga”, while North Korea’s anthem is “Aegukka”. So playing one instead of the other goes beyond the common mistake of having two similar looking files in the event database. It involves two states that have a long history of political and military confrontation.

This makes the anthem ceremony particularly important. National anthems are commonly played at major sporting events to formally represent the participating countries, along with the display of their flags. South Korean players therefore expected their own national anthem as they stood in front of the South Korean flag when the North Korean anthem began.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

18 Sep 2026 15:30 IST