An image display apparatus and a method for operating the image display apparatus are disclosed. The method for operating an image display apparatus includes displaying at least one object on a display, displaying a pointer on the display, accumulating a movement value of a remote controller during a predetermined period, detecting reference coordinates of the displayed at least one object, correcting the accumulated movement value based on the reference coordinates if the reference coordinates are detected, and changing the location of the pointer based on the corrected value and displaying the pointer.