The government has deleted the expression "South Korea facing serious water shortage" from its annual report for release on World Water Day Wednesday.

The Construction and Transportation Ministry said Tuesday that the U.S.-based Population Action International once called the country one of the world's most water-stressed nations, a misquote that led to a global misperception on the domestic water situation.

The ministry, however, said the deletion does not mean the government disagrees with the study, citing a potential water shortage of 340 million cubic meters by 2011.