VANK, led by director Park Gi-tae, has secured a correction of biased descriptions in the “African race” entry on Naver Knowledge Encyclopedia.
This achievement is part of VANK’s “Promote Africa Correctly” project, launched in 2025. After reviewing knowledge encyclopedia content that appears prominently in search results for “Africa” on Naver, the organization requested corrections to a total of 10 entries.
The review covered a wide range of materials, including elementary and secondary educational content as well as general reference dictionaries. These included entries such as “Africa” in elementary social studies concept dictionaries, religious studies dictionaries, and world place-name dictionaries, as well as multiple entries in Cheonjae Learning Encyclopedia materials for elementary students and Basic geography glossaries for middle and high school students.
The analysis identified recurring patterns of bias in how Africa is described. The most notable issue was a simplified, dichotomous narrative that frames Africa as a “poor present with potential for the future.” Many entries emphasized poverty, disease, and desertification before concluding with “development potential,” while failing to adequately reflect contemporary changes such as urbanization, industrial growth, and the expansion of cultural industries. For example, one elementary-level entry presented “people suffering from hunger and disease” as the first image that comes to mind when thinking of Africa, reinforcing distorted perceptions.
Another entry in a high school geography glossary concluded that, despite its abundant resources, Africa faces difficulties in modernization due to long-term colonial rule, economic dependence, conflict, and food shortages. However, it did not sufficiently reflect Africa’s current development, regional cooperation, or internally driven change, raising the risk of portraying the continent simply as “lagging behind” in modernization.
The use of terms originating in the colonial era without critical context was also identified as a major issue. Examples include “Black Africa,” “Pygmy,” “Bushman,” and “Hottentot.” The term “Black Africa,” rooted in racial classifications from the European colonial period, appeared in multiple entries without explanation. Likewise, “Bushman” and “Hottentot,” externally imposed labels, are now discouraged in favor of community-based names such as San and Khoikhoi.
The first entry to be corrected was the “African race” entry in a high school geography glossary. Prior to revision, it described African races as “Negro” or “black race,” listing “Negro” as a synonym. The text also used terms such as “Sudan Negro,” “Pygmy,” “Bushman,” and “Hottentot” without explanation, and descriptions of the slave trade did not clearly convey its coercive nature.
The term “Negro,” derived from racial classification systems based on skin color, is now widely recognized as carrying discriminatory connotations and is avoided in modern usage. Notably, while Naver’s Korean dictionary labels the term as a derogatory expression, it had still been presented as a neutral synonym in the encyclopedia, highlighting inconsistencies in usage standards.
Following VANK’s request, the entry was fully revised. References to “Negro” were removed, and outdated terms were replaced with expressions reflecting geographical and cultural contexts, such as “West and Central African peoples,” “Bantu-speaking groups,” and specific community names including San, Khoikhoi, Baka, Mbuti, and Twa. In addition, the description of the slave trade was revised from “spread” to “forcibly relocated,” more clearly reflecting its coercive nature.
Another entry, “Negro race,” in a general knowledge resource for middle school students, was also corrected. The term was replaced with “black race,” addressing the discriminatory expression.
This case is significant not only as a correction of terminology but also as a broader reflection on how knowledge content shapes perceptions of regions and people. By moving beyond externally imposed labels and incorporating community self-identification and historical context, the revisions mark an important step toward improving representation. The fact that the correction was implemented just one day after the request underscores the clarity of the issues identified.
Of the 10 correction requests submitted, some entries—including those in religious studies and world place-name dictionaries—cannot be immediately revised due to copyright and content provider policies. However, Naver stated that it will relay the concerns to content providers during future database updates for review. This is expected to further expand awareness of the need for balanced descriptions of Africa and promote broader improvements across related content.
VANK has continued to lead efforts to improve how Africa is described in textbooks and dictionaries both in Korea and abroad. In May 2025, the group analyzed biased content in Korean school textbooks and requested corrections from the Ministry of Education, resulting in expanded coverage of contemporary Africa and international exchange in eight elementary textbooks. The same year, overseas dictionaries added warning labels such as “dated” to certain Africa-related terms. On March 16, 2026, VANK also received responses from foreign textbook publishers following similar correction requests.
Lee Sei-yeon, a youth researcher at VANK who led the initiative, said the issue is not the existence of poverty or conflict in parts of Africa, but the tendency to reduce an entire continent of 54 countries to a single image. “Descriptions of Africa’s past and future are repeated, but content that accurately reflects its present reality in a balanced way remains insufficient,” she said, emphasizing that the project aims to document and convey “Africa as it is today.”
Park Gi-tae, head of VANK, said the organization is building on its experience in correcting misinformation about Korea to drive meaningful changes in Africa-related descriptions. “Establishing a balanced perspective on Africa is an important foundation for building a mutually respectful international community,” he said. He added that as generative AI becomes a major channel for information distribution, responsibility for the accuracy and context of digital knowledge is becoming increasingly important, calling for continued monitoring and improvement to prevent the repetition of biased narratives.
Meanwhile, VANK plans to continue reviewing Africa-related content across digital platforms, including knowledge encyclopedias, and pursue further corrections to promote balanced information. As additional requests are currently under review, further improvements are expected.