BBC World News was left red-faced after it accidentally broadcast footage of National Day celebrations in Taiwan while claiming they were actually a military display marking the 75th anniversary of North Korea’s ruling party.
The mistake was made by the network on Saturday, when it aired footage captioned ‘Live Pyongyang’. However, the video was from Taipei, with multiple Taiwanese flags fluttering in the air and distinctive landmarks visible.
Aside from the military themes of both the North Korean and Taiwanese displays, they looked nothing alike. The Pyongyang parade featured scores of assorted military hardware, including ballistic missiles – and was actually held in the nighttime.
The mistake did not escape the attention of eagle-eyed BBC viewers, who rushed to social media to mock the broadcaster. Some suggested the error might have stemmed from the fact the North Korean and Taiwanese flags share similar colors.
Similar flag colors😅😅😅
— Dorin Poh (@DorinPohPoh) October 10, 2020
Flags 🇹🇼 🇰🇵 🇨🇳 ok?
— Sabo Tweets (@humbol2) October 10, 2020
Others have seemingly taken offence, taking the error quite seriously and blasting the broadcaster for its apparent lack of knowledge of the region.
I wonder if people in the UK realise that a once reputable news service is now just an embarrassment.
— 老将 (@TheDaSheng) October 11, 2020
It’s terrible confusing. BBC’s lack of basic understanding in Asia is also terrible.
— charles0420 (@charles04201) October 10, 2020
The BBC reportedly corrected its mistake later on air, apologizing for the mix-up.
Also on rt.com
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