VANK Leads Update to Include Nelson Mandela’s Birth Name in Naver Profile
2026.04.10
South Korea’s cyber diplomacy organization VANK said it has contributed to updates in Naver’s people search service to include the birth name of former South African President Nelson Mandela alongside his widely used English name, as part of a broader campaign to promote the use of indigenous African names.
The initiative is part of VANK’s “Restoring African Indigenous Names” campaign, which seeks to address the dominance of Western naming conventions in references to African places and historical figures by encouraging the recognition of original local names.
The update follows earlier efforts by VANK to revise biased and outdated terminology in Naver’s Knowledge Encyclopedia, where the organization identified and requested corrections to 10 entries containing racially insensitive or imbalanced descriptions related to Africa.
According to VANK, prior to the revision, searches for “Nelson Mandela” on Naver displayed only the English name, while searches using his birth name, “Rolihlahla Mandela,” did not return the corresponding profile. Following the organization’s request, the profile now lists “Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,” and searches using either name direct users to the same entry.
VANK said the change reflects not only an update in naming but also an improvement in search accessibility, allowing indigenous names to be recognized alongside widely used Western names within the platform’s system.
Mandela’s birth name, “Rolihlahla,” comes from the Xhosa language and is often interpreted as “pulling the branch of a tree” or “troublemaker.” The name “Nelson” was assigned during the colonial-era education system, a practice that contributed to the widespread use of Western names for African individuals.
The organization said the update illustrates a shift in digital information environments toward recognizing the cultural identity and naming traditions of African figures, moving beyond conventions established during the colonial period.
Kim Ryeong-eun, a youth researcher at VANK who led the initiative, said that in South Africa, institutions such as the Nelson Mandela Foundation use Mandela’s birth name to acknowledge his cultural identity.
“As global cultural influence expands, there is a growing responsibility to understand and respect other cultures accurately,” Kim said, adding that the effort aims to reflect Africa’s identity more faithfully in digital platforms.
VANK Director Park Ki-tae said the update, following earlier revisions in encyclopedia content, represents a step toward establishing more balanced perspectives on Africa within Korean digital services.
He added that the organization will continue efforts to promote the recognition of indigenous names and improve the accuracy of Africa-related content across digital platforms.
VANK said it plans to expand its review and correction activities beyond individual cases, including ongoing monitoring of Africa-related entries in online encyclopedias and search services.