Dear Editor,

I read your articles about the visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to Rwanda and I was grateful for the coverage done.

However, one thing would have been given due attention is his correct name. His family or surname is Ban, and not Ki-moon, and so his name should be written as "Ban Ki-moon” and not "Ki-moon Ban.”

In Korean lingo, we say our family name first and the given name last. This may have been the cause of the confusions.

Another thing I would like to highlight is his wife’s name. Referring to western style, her name is Mrs. Ban, but in Korea, when a woman gets married, her family name does not change.

So, for his wife, her family name is Yu and should be referred to as Mrs. Yu. (You may however have to verify depending on the source, it can be "Yu”, "Yoo”, "You”, and so forth).

If a Korean newspaper ran an article addressing the president of the US as George, this would seem inappropriate.

So it is with us Koreans in whose culture calling your father, your boss, or older person by their first name. Thank you for the good work.

Kigali

We are grateful for this enlightenment. - Editor