Asian Games 2026: North Korean anthem plays during South Korea hockey match

South Korean hockey players were left confused after North Korea’s national anthem was played instead of South Korea’s before their men’s field hockey match against Bangladesh at the Asian Games on Friday (Sep 18). The South Korean team was lined up at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara when the North Korean anthem started playing. Some players stood at attention, while others looked around in confusion or placed their hands over their hearts.

The stadium announcer had introduced the music as South Korea’s national anthem, but organisers quickly realised the mistake and corrected the error. Bangladesh’s national anthem was played first, followed by South Korea’s anthem.

However, the match was already behind schedule, so the South Korean players could not complete the anthem ceremony. The referee asked both teams to exchange greetings while South Korea’s anthem was still playing, forcing the players to start the match before the ceremony had fully ended.

Also Read - Jos Buttler creates history as first batter to reach 15,000 T20 runs

The incident did not affect South Korea’s performance as they defeated Bangladesh 5-0 in their opening Pool A match, with five different players scoring.

South Korean news agency Yonhap described the incident as an “awkward mishap” and said that the players appeared confused as the unfamiliar anthem played in front of their national flag.

Also Read - England county club Leicestershire staring at relegation after 27-point penalty

The error was particularly sensitive because South Korea and North Korea have been divided since the Korean War and maintain a complicated relationship.

At international sporting events, the two countries compete separately and use different flags and anthems. South Korea’s national anthem is “Aegukga”, while North Korea’s is “Aegukka”.

The incident came before the Asian Games’ official opening ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday (Sep 19).