Publications
Partners
London - London organisers apologised on Thursday and Olympic supremo Jacques Rogge spoke of human error after the South Korean flag was displayed next to images of the North Korean team at an Olympic women's soccer match the previous day.
The North Korean delegation angrily left the pitch after the blunder at Glasgow's Hampden Park. They returned more than an hour later with the proper flag now displayed, and beat Colombia 2-0.
London 2012 spokesperson Andy Mitchell said "the North Koreans were naturally very upset about that ... A genuine mistake was made for which we apologise."
Tensions are high between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war since a 1950-53 conflict ended in a ceasefire, with no formal peace treaty.
Speaking at the IOC session on the eve of Friday's opening ceremony, Rogge said there "was no political connotation.
"The organising committee has taken corrective action and there will be no repeat. It was a simple human mistake."
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the mix-up had been an "honest mistake." An apology had been given and efforts had been made to "ensure it will never happen again."
"It was an "unfortunate incident. We should not over-inflate it," said Cameron.
