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South Korean scholars oppose state-issued history books

October 17, 2015
Lawmakers of South Korea's minor opposition Justice Party, including its chief, Shim Sang-jung (front), stage a demonstration in Seoul on Oct. 15, 2015, to express opposition to the government's plan to reintroduce a single state history textbook for secondary school students. The government has said the plan is to address what it calls the predominantly left-leaning contents in current books, but progressive students, scholars and the opposition bloc claim it will stamp out diverse views and distort facts. (Yonhap)

Lawmakers of South Korea’s minor opposition Justice Party, including its chief, Shim Sang-jung (front), stage a demonstration in Seoul on Oct. 15, 2015, to express opposition to the government’s plan to reintroduce a single state history textbook for secondary school students. The government has said the plan is to address what it calls the predominantly left-leaning contents in current books, but progressive students, scholars and the opposition bloc claim it will stamp out diverse views and distort facts. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of South Korean scholars have declared they won’t participate in the writing of state-issued history textbooks out of concern that that they will teach distorted views on the country’s recent history.

Conservative President Park Geun-hye’s government plans to require middle and high schools to use textbooks edited by the government after 2017, instead of allowing schools to choose from eight private publishers, as is currently the case.

Professors from more than 20 South Korean universities on Saturday said they would not contribute to the textbooks because they believe the government is moving to soften descriptions of South Korea’s brutal dictatorships in the 1960s and 1970s.

One Comment

  1. sangyukim

    October 17, 2015 at 9:32 AM

    I am graduate student in Seoul. I report that Almost half of people are opposing to state-designated history textbook. More than half of students and teachers disagree. 90% of historians object to state designated text book. History Professors in many university already announced that they will not take part in publishing state-designated history textbook. People rather have a doubt on Political Powers’ intention to render history textbook right-biased.

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