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State textbook plan hits snag

November 6, 2015

Lead author resigns over sexual harassment allegations

Choi Mong-ryong, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, answers reporters’ questions in front of his house in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. He said he will not take part in writing the history textbook after news reports that he sexually harassed a newspaper reporter. ( Yonhap)

By Chung Ah-young

The government’s plan to re-write history textbooks hit a major obstacle Friday as one of its two leading authors resigned over a sexual harassment allegation.

Choi Mong-ryong, professor emeritus of Seoul National University (SNU), said he will not take part in writing the controversial textbooks after allegations that he sexually harassed a newspaper reporter were made public.

He was one of the two lead authors of the textbooks under the National Institute of Korean History (NIKH) along with Shin Hyung-sik from Ewha Womans University.

He allegedly kissed a female journalist on the cheek and groped her after drinking alcohol when she visited his home along with several other reporters. The reporters visited his home because he didn’t appear at the NIKH press conference, Wednesday.

Choi denied the harassment accusation but he conveyed his willingness to quit the writing team. “I admit I made a joke, but reporters didn’t express any displeasure,” Choi said. “I don’t understand this controversy.”

His resignation comes two days after the NIKH announced its plan to organize a team of writers in the wake of the Ministry of Education’s official announcement of the new schoolbook policy.

Even before the harassment scandal erupted, Choi has been under pressure from students at his school to quit the team of state textbook authors.

His resignation is expected to deal a blow to the Park Geun-hye administration’s plan to rush the publication of the state textbooks for use at middle and high schools.

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) spokesman Kim Sung-soo called the professor’s resignation “a disaster” stemming from the government’s “reckless push” for a monopoly on the right to author history textbooks.

In the meantime, the National Police Agency said it will crack down on those who resort to violence and defamation against members of the textbook team.

According to the government’s plan, the team will consist of 36 writers headed by six lead authors including Choi and Shin.

Choi was supposed to lead the content creation on Korean archeology, and Shin, ancient Korean history.

Four other lead writers for content on the Goryeo, Joseon and contemporary/modern eras are yet to be finalized.

The institute plans to finish organizing the 36-member team on Nov. 20 after selecting writers through open recruitment continuing until next Monday on the NIKH website.

The NIKH has yet to decide whether to release the list of writers amid concerns that the publicity would disturb their writing as they would be targets of attack by those who oppose the state textbooks.

The textbook project is slated to be completed by next November and the final version will be distributed to middle and high schools nationwide starting in March 2017.

Currently, schools select from among eight history textbooks written by private publishers approved by the government.

The government has pushed ahead with the plan to adopt the single state-authored textbooks, claiming the current options were too left-leaning with pro-North Korean content.