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which recently became embroiled in the controversy over high school history textbooks when it told principals at area schools to review the choice of a textbook that has been heavily criticized by the Education Ministry.

Teachers are angry over what they say is open interference in school affairs after the Busan Office of Education summoned school principals to tell them to change their choice of modern and contemporary Korean history textbook. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is already facing criticism for similar actions.

According to statements by officials with the Busan Office of Education and high school teachers on November 19, the office called in high school principals from 49 schools that had chosen the modern Korean history textbook published by Kumsung Publishing for a meeting held November 15. The principals were told that the Kumsung version of the textbook is the subject of serious controversy regarding how it treats “the identity of the state,” and that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has found it “the most problematic” and is pushing to have schools “reselect” their modern and contemporary Korean history textbooks.

One principal said it will be “impossible not to obey when the higher-level agency puts it in such strong terms.” He added that he plans to commence on the procedures for reviewing his school’s initial selection of the Kumsung textbook.

Ever since the November 15 meeting, “principals have been saying that they have the authority to change the decision of their school board even if they have chosen the Kumsung textbook, and that the Kumsung textbook should be excluded even if it is recommended by our curriculum committees,” said one high school history teacher.

Lee Jong-su, head of the Busan Office of Education’s education policy section, blamed the book for the controversy. “Would there be this kind of controversy in our society if the (Kumsung Publishing) textbook was without problems?” he asked. “The problems were brought up at the meeting of superintendents for provincial and independent city education offices, and the education ministry is determined about this, so that’s why we told schools to talk it over again.”

Yun Jong-bae, president of the Association for Korean History Teachers was critical of the motivation behind the meeting, saying, “The Education Ministry and the offices of education in the country’s provinces and independent cities are behaving undemocratically by ignoring the views of the teachers actually teaching the subject and unilaterally pushing for a change in textbook choice when they have no authority to do so.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]