VANK’s Global Campaign Prompts First Positive Response from International Organization on Africa Map Distortion
South Korea’s cyber diplomacy organization VANK said Monday that its long-running global campaign to correct world maps that distort the size of Africa has received its first positive response from an international organization.
The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), an agency under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), described VANK’s request as a “valuable suggestion” and said it would immediately begin an internal review while positively considering possible improvements, including short-term measures.
This marks the first time an international organization has officially responded favorably to efforts to address the continued use of Mercator projection maps, which significantly reduce the visual size of Africa despite it being one of the world’s largest continents.
SESRIC said it is considering adding explanatory notices to online pages that use the Mercator projection to inform users of potential visual distortion. Following an internal evaluation, it also said it may adopt alternative map projections that more accurately represent land area, such as the Equal Earth projection proposed by VANK, in future updates.
The response carries broader significance given SESRIC’s role as a research body that produces statistical maps and reports widely referenced by governments, international organizations and global media. As such, changes to its visual standards could influence how Africa and other regions are represented in international data and policy discussions.
Of Africa’s 54 countries, 27 are members of the OIC, and nearly half of the continent’s population is estimated to be Muslim, underscoring the close historical and demographic ties between Africa and the Islamic world. SESRIC conducts research on social, economic, health and educational conditions across the OIC’s 57 member states, and its visual materials often function as international reference points.
VANK has argued that the continued use of the Mercator projection by international institutions reinforces long-standing structural distortions in global map standards, particularly affecting Africa’s perceived scale and status.
Park Ki-tae, director of VANK, said the response represents “a significant milestone” in efforts to improve global map standards.
“International research institutions that provide data used worldwide have an important responsibility in shaping how regions are viewed,” he said. “Even small changes in visual standards can have meaningful implications.”
VANK said it plans to continue its international campaign to promote fairer world map representations and more balanced global perceptions, expanding its outreach beyond OIC member states to regions including Africa, ASEAN and South America.
Source (Korean)
https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0015753283?sid=104