Dear editor,

I am writing to you in regards to something posted on The Korea Times Web site on March 30 and April 1, 2010, which were caricatures concerning the inhumane terrorist attacks occurred in Moscow subway.

The appearance of such publications in the aftermath when our country is mourning over dozens of its citizens that have perished following a monstrous crime planned by terrorist forces, provoked feelings of bewilderment and indignity in the Russian community.

As well as most Russian citizens, we estimate the publishing of the caricatures in The Korea Times as an insult and outrage over the memory of the perished.

In our opinion, by doing such, The Korea Times practically connives with the international terrorists and those forces, who are interested in the destabilization of Russia and other regions of the world.

In particular, the most deplorable fact is that the caricatures concerning the Moscow tragedy appeared in the period commemorating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea

Such publications are hardly to promote the relations of the strategic partnership between our two states.

And besides, it's obvious that the position of your newspaper contradicts the sincere feelings of the majority of the South Korean people, expressed by President Lee Myung-bak, in the letter of condolences conveyed to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, on the occasion of the Moscow terrorist attacks.

In this connection, we are surprised by such an anti-Russian position of The Korea Times as well as by its anti-human attitude toward the Russian citizens who have lost their relatives following the tragedy.

The Russian Embassy in Korea urgently demands to exclude the appearance of such irresponsible publications in the future and expects official apologies to the Russian side from your newspaper.

K. Vnukov
Russian Ambassador to Seoul