伦敦奥运会开幕之前率先进行的女足小组赛朝鲜对哥伦比亚的比赛中，主办方介绍朝鲜女足队员的头像旁边显示的却是韩国国旗，朝鲜女足队员全体离场表示抗议，原定当晚7点45分开始的比赛也因此延迟到9点才开始。伦敦奥组委随后发表道歉声明：“今天在朝鲜与哥伦比亚的比赛开始之前，球场大屏幕上出现的却是韩国国旗，很明显那是一个错误。我们向朝鲜女足全队和朝鲜奥委会道歉，并采取措施保证此类错误不会再犯。”不过，这并不是朝鲜与奥运会之间的第一次纠葛。1963年国际奥委会对参加新生力量运动会的国家发布禁令后，朝鲜退出了1964年的奥运会。1988年，因与首尔合办奥运会的要求被拒，朝鲜再次拒绝参加奥运会。

(TOP) South Korea's flag is used to introduce Team North Korea players at Hampden and (BOTTOM) North Korea's supporters react as the incorrect flag is displayed. (Agencies)

North Korea's Olympic women's football team walked off the pitch for an hour at their opening London 2012 match after organizers mistakenly introduced the players using South Korea's flag.

Just four hours after the first action of London 2012, the Games saw its first gaffe when the electronic scoreboard at Hampden Park displayed the South Korean flag ahead of North Korean women’s football match against Colombia.

The entire team left the pitch in protest when they saw the wrong flag next to their names on the screen.

The match had been due to start at 7.45pm but there was a delay of at least an hour while the mistake was corrected. The game eventually kicked off shortly before 9pm.

Announcers at the stadium apologized for the delay and said there was “an issue behind the scenes”.

There were reports that fans had booed while others walked out after being kept waiting.

Before the match, Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said: “The Olympics is of huge importance and the fact Hampden will be front and centre as the world turns it attention to the UK is great news for Glasgow and Scotland as a whole.

“The Olympics is our chance to show the world what we are capable of as a nation and the hard work of people across the country is helping ensure the success of the Games.

“I am looking forward to watching the game and hearing the first-ever Olympic roar at Hampden later today.”

North Korea is no stranger to Olympic controversies. In 1964, the nation withdrew from the Olympics after the IOA banned countries that took part in the 1963 Games of the New Emerging Forces.

The country also boycotted the 1988 Games after being snubbed as co-hosts for the Seoul Games.

A Locog spokesman said: “Today ahead of the Women’s football match at Hampden Park, the South Korean flag was shown on a big screen video package instead of the North Korean flag.

"Clearly that is a mistake, we will apologize to the team and the National Olympic Committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again.”