Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony — in pictures

The 2024 Paris Olympics officially kicked off Friday with an ambitious and ultimately very wet Opening Ceremony that interspersed creative performances with a lengthy boat-based parade of nations.

The Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. [AP/YONHAP]

The 2024 Paris Olympics officially kicked off Friday with an ambitious and ultimately very wet Opening Ceremony that interspersed creative performances with a lengthy boat-based parade of nations.

Forgoing the usual format that sees the story-telling performances followed by a parade of nations, Paris instead opted to use the Seine as a stage with athletes entering the Olympics by boat.

The lengthy parade was broken up with different performances staged on different parts of the river, with regular cuts to video for viewers watching at home.

Korea entered in the middle of the Cs — following the French spelling for the country, Corée du Sud — with high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok and swimmer Kim Seo-yeong as flagbearers.

But those attending the ceremony along the river were an audience to a major gaffe. French and English announcers introduced South Korea with the name for North Korea, "République Populaire Démocratique de Corée" in French and "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" in English, instead of the name for South Korea, "République de Corée" in French and "Republic of Korea" in English.

The South Korean government on Saturday made an official complaint to the International Olympic Committee and Jang Mi-ran, the second vice minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has requested a meeting with IOC president Thomas Bach.

Performances during the ceremony included Lady Gaga performing “Mon truc en plumes” by Zizi Jeanmaire, French heavy metal band Gojira, a brief “Les Miserables” interlude and Marina Viotti singing opera from “Carmen.”

When the parade ended, athletes gathered in Trocadero for the final formalities of the Opening Ceremony, including the arrival of the Olympic torch.

Athletes from Korea wave flags as they sail on a boat along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. [AFP/YONHAP]

The Olympic torch is carried on a boat under the Austerlitz bridge at the start of the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics. [AFP/YONHAP]

Smoke clouds in the colors of the French flag are seen during the opening ceremony. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Lady Gaga performs during the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics. [AP/YONHAP]

Aircraft make a heart out of smoke over Paris during the opening ceremony. [AP/YONHAP]

French rock band Gojira perform during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in Paris on Friday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Performers hold up hoops in the shape of the Olympic rings on a floating platform along the Seine during the opening ceremony. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean athletes wave from a boat during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in Paris on Friday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

A member of the Refugee Olympic team kisses an Olympic flag as he travels on a boat down the Seine. [AP/YONHAP]

The boat carrying team Brazil makes its way down the Seine. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The boat carrying team Germany makes its way down the Seine. [AFP/YONHAP]

The boat carrying team Nigeria makes its way down the Seine. [AP/YONHAP]

French athletes ride along the Seine during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics. [AP/YONHAP]

A worker sweeps rain water at the Trocadero during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. [AP/YONHAP]

The Olympic flag is carried on horseback down the Seine in Paris on Friday. [AP/YONHAP]

The Olympic flag is carried through Paris. [AP/YONHAP]

The Olympic flag is carried onto the stage at the Trocadero in Paris. [AP/YONHAP]

Zinedine Zidane, former French football player and manager, holds the Olympic torch. [AP/YONHAP]

Update, July 27

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]