Dear editor,

A piece of news published in your newspaper on June 10 has drawn my attention seriously as it has distorted my country Nepal’s national and geographical image. In the news entitled “why India is worth to visit?” Indian Ambassador to Korea Vishnu Prakas has claimed that Mt. Everestis in the northeastern part of India which is completely misleading and confusing.

The world map clearly shows that Mt. Everest is in Nepal. And, it is not a debated and disputed matter. Why couldn’t Ambassador Vishnu say that a sovereign country Nepal is in the northern part of India and Mt. Everest is in Nepal?

National image is very important for everyone and to me as well so I sincerely request Ambassador Vishnu correct his statement. It has not only distorted Nepal’s geographical image, it has also given wrong information to Korean and non-Korean readers of The Korea Times. This false information also distorts the reputation of the popular newspaper The Korea Times.

In my decade long-stay in Korea, I have realized that the national image of Nepal has been interpreted wrongly in many ways. In the Korean textbook, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha was described in a confusing way (as it is in India) which was requested to be corrected by the government of Nepal. The government of Korea already acknowledged this matter and agreed to revise it.

All humans are incomplete and we make mistakes intentionally or accidentally. I don’t want to ponder on the reason behind that statement but hope it will be corrected. I hope the editor of The Korea Times and Ambassador Vishnu will respect our national identity and image by correcting the mistake.