A major incident took place during ASIAD 20 when the organizers mistakenly played the national anthem of North Korea instead of South Korea's before the men's hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh. This occurred on September 18, 2026, at the Kakamigahara Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan.

According to Yonhap News, the mistake was made just before the scheduled match. The announcer was supposed to play the South Korean national anthem, but unexpectedly, the North Korean anthem filled the stadium. The South Korean players quickly realized the error, looking at each other in confusion, while some athletes lowered their hands from their chests and alerted officials about the incident.

Following the blunder, the announcer immediately acknowledged the mistake and apologized. However, instead of playing the South Korean anthem right away, the organizers played the Bangladesh anthem first, before finally playing the correct anthem for South Korea.

This incident disrupted the pre-match ceremony. Due to the confusion, officials instructed players from both teams to greet each other while the South Korean anthem was being played, preventing the South Korean players from completing the anthem ceremony in the proper order. The Associated Press also reported on this incident, describing it as a particularly confusing situation just before South Korea's first match at ASIAD 20.

Notably, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) has requested a formal apology from the ASIAD 20 organizers. According to News1, KSOC stated that they discussed a response immediately after learning of the incident and sent a letter of protest through the head of the men's hockey team, Lee Sang-hyun. In the letter, South Korea requested the organizers clarify the circumstances surrounding the mistake, issue a formal apology, and implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Yonhap News commented that the incident drew even more attention as there had been several prior issues with the organization of ASIAD 20 that led to reactions from the South Korean team, including challenges at the airport and the athletes' village.

Despite the unexpected start, the South Korean men's hockey team performed impressively, defeating Bangladesh 5-0. South Korea is set to face Indonesia in their next Group A match on September 22. The team previously won a bronze medal at ASIAD Hangzhou 2022 and aims to continue their success at this year's event.