Kamal Koirala – Ambassador Who Corrected Buddha’s Birthplace in Korean Textbooks

Former Ambassador Kamal Koirala, a distinguished member of the Koirala political clan and son of former Prime Minister of Nepal Matrika Prasad Koirala, passed away on March 30, 2025. He was 87.

Born into a prominent Nepali Congress family, Koirala was introduced to democratic ideals from an early age. However, he later gravitated toward communist ideology. In his final years, he was affiliated with the Unified Socialist Party, led by former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, following the split of the CPN-UML.

Though he drew public attention through both his political lineage and ideological shift, Kamal Koirala became widely recognized for his diplomatic contribution during his tenure as Nepal’s Ambassador to South Korea from 2007 to 2011.

While serving in Seoul in 2007, he discovered that South Korean school textbooks incorrectly mentioned India as the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. The birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha, was Lumbini, Nepal.

Without hesitation, Ambassador Koirala wrote a formal letter to then-President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea, pointing out the error and urging the government to correct the same. The letter was picked up by the Korean media and quickly came into notice of the Korean public. The South Korean government in response amended the textbooks to reflect the accurate historical information.

At a time when national identity and heritage were at stake, Kamal Koirala demonstrated courage and diplomatic resolve. Relatively new in foreign service, Koirala followed in the footsteps of his father, Matrika Koirala, who had served as Nepal’s permanent representative to the UN and Ambassador to the United States from 1961 to 1964.

Although he did not follow his father’s path in domestic politics, Kamal carried forward his legacy in diplomacy—defending Nepal’s interests on the international stage. His resolve to correct the factual error regarding Lord Buddha’s birthplace has in fact strengthened Nepal-South Korea relations.

On his demise, tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, including Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Unified Socialist chair Madhav Kumar Nepal and former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal. Leaders of different political parties and prominent civil society members, also paid their respects to the late diplomat, leader, and writer.

Kamal Koirala will be remembered for his integrity, patriotism, and unwavering commitment to Nepal’s dignity abroad.