Korean history textbook controversies

Korean textbook controversy refers to controversial content in government-approved history textbooks used in the secondary education (high schools) in South Korea. The controversies primarily concern portrayal of North Korea and the description of the regime of the South Korean president and dictator Park Chung-hee.

Historical context

The controversy's origins can be traced at least to 2013, when South Korea's Ministry of Education instructed publishers to revise their history textbooks.[1] In 2015 the South Korean National Institute of Korean History announced plans to replace existing history textbooks in high schools with one authorized version by March 2017.[2] The state-issued textbooks are to be written by a government-appointed panel of experts.[3]

In the larger context, this controversy is a part of an ongoing dispute on whether the state should control the content of history textbooks, and possibly enforce a monopoly, or whether individual schools (or teachers) should be free to choose their own textbooks.[4] South Korea used to have state control over textbooks until the rules were relaxed in 2003 leading to the appearance of several competing textbooks used since, particularly since 2010.[3]

Criticisms

Existing textbooks have been criticized by the government as well as by the Korean right or conservative side for being too positive on North Korean topics, and for "liberal, left-leaning" bias.[2][3][5][6] On the other hand, the left, also described as liberals and progressives, represented among others by The Hankyoreh newspaper, are critical of the changes such as removing any mentions of the Geochang massacre and excluding photos of the first North–South summit, which they have described as biased towards a conservative view of history and the state that lends legitimacy to the pre-democratic, authoritarian, conservative governments.[1][5] In particular, the regime of Park Chung-hee, the father of the then current Korean president, Park Geun-hye, is seen by liberals as given a "white-wash" treatment by the new revisions.[1][2][3][5][6][7] The conservatives rebuke that the current textbooks describe Park Chung-hee and his predecessor, Rhee Syng-man, in an excessively negative manner.[8] Other controversial topics involve the framing of the pro-democratic protests against Park's regime,[3] or the inclusion of the story of Korean teenage heroine Yu Gwan-sun.[9]

Liberals had also criticized the action on the grounds that the government control over textbooks is limiting freedom of speech and spreading propaganda.[2] As of October 22, 2015, a petition against the new textbook reform had over 50,000 signatures.[2] The government has also been facing several lawsuits, including one by the current textbook authors who accuse the government of libel.[1][2][8] The plan has been described as controversial, and has led to public protests.[3] Over 400 Korean history professors have expressed their opposition to the proposal.[10] Outside Korea, the proposal has been criticized by over 200 professors of Korean studies.[9] An opinion poll showed the Korean public opinion divided into approximately 50% against the new textbook plan, and 36% in favor.[3]

Several commentators compared this to the comfort women issue, noting that with the recent government interference into the content of history books, South Korea is losing its moral high ground from which it previously criticized the Japanese government for its perceived historical textbook problems.[11][12]

See also

References
  1. "South Korea's History Textbook Controversy". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  2. "A textbook war divides South Korea". latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  3. France-Presse, Agence. "South Korea accused of rewriting history over schoolbook policy". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  4. "Chosun Ilbo "Debates" the Production of History". Sino-NK. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  5. "Textbook controversy is over competing forms of nationalist history". koreatimes. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  6. Sang-hun, Choe (2015-10-12). "South Korea to Issue State History Textbooks, Rejecting Private Publishers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  7. Mundy, Simon (2015-10-12). "South Korea set to rewrite history books". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  8. "(News Focus) History textbook controversy evolves into academic, ideological conflict - The Korea Observer". The Korea Observer. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
  9. "A high school heroine has South Koreans fighting over history textbooks". latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  10. Mundy, Simon. "South Korea fights old battles with new history textbooks". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  11. Mundy, Simon. "South Korea fights old battles with new history textbooks". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
  12. "[Reporter's column] S. Korea forfeiting moral high ground in Japan dispute". www.hani.co.kr. Retrieved 2015-11-27.

Further reading
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