hankyoreh

Oct. 6. (by Lee Jeong-woo

The ruling Saenuri Party (NFP) continues to push its initiative for a single history textbook in South Korean schools. Seemingly wary of media attention, the government has remained ambivalent on the issue, but Saenuri leader Kim Moo-sung, floor leader Won Yoo-cheol and other high-ranking members have raised their voices. The surface-argument to justify their initiative is providing universal textbooks that offer an “optimistic” view of history. Other voices, however, have observed that the party’s push to revise historical texts aligns with its agenda and other political demands from both within and without the party.

On Oct. 6, during a National Assembly audit session, Saenuri deputy floor leader Cho Won-jin stated that the three main objectives of history education are “instilling values of patriotism,” promoting “the greatness of the Republic of Korea,” and “uniting the Korean people.” He went on to claim that current texts inject today’s youth with a “self-destructive” and “defeatist” historical perspective. Party leader Kim Moo-sung, sometimes called the “state history advocate,” repeatedly emphasized the need to write a “unified and positive history” of Korea for future generations. The overall message seemed innocent enough: education that emphasizes historical optimism.

Yet it was only two weeks earlier when the Saenuri Party seemed intent on softening government intentions to revise historical texts under state authorization. On Sep. 20, the issue came up during a policy coordination conference involving the ruling party, the government (administration), and the Blue House, but the party’s reluctance to discuss it prevented any debate at all. Furthermore, the government‘s official announcement concerning the issue was set for late September, but that’s also been delayed.

On Sep. 1, the Saenuri Party formed a special committee for “improving history textbooks” (headed by Kim Eul-dong, Chairman of the party’s supreme council), claiming that the issue had resurfaced among party members. A source in the party, in a move to prevent broad interpretations, said that party leaders and supreme council members are speaking up to align with the special committee’s formation. The source added that there were “no negotiations with the Blue House” on the issue.

Yet some suspect the Saenuri Party pounced on the opportunity to please the Blue House as soon as the government appeared unwilling to oppose the campaign for a single history textbook. Some claim the party‘s recent formation of the special committee for improving history textbooks, as well as its sudden push to sway public opinion, is related to the official government announcements expected for mid-October. The government has revealed that it will announce its stance on a single history book after Oct. 8, when the National Assembly’s government audits officially end.

Furthermore, Rep. Kim Moo-sung and floor leader Won Yoo-cheol have recently presented reports to the government on content about North Korea or editorial viewpoints from current historical texts, citing them as “evidence” of their claims. This is a stark contrast to the strictly verbal declarations they stuck to before recent events. Non-governmental sources have also questioned the analytical data and sources of such reports, which the party is using as weapons in a political offensive. Floor leader Won Yoo-cheol , however, said that “now is not the time to reveal our sources.”

The Saenuri Party could be implementing a strategy to rally the support of conservative voters in preparation for next year’s parliamentary election. Choi Chang-ryeol, political science professor at Yongin University, said it’s unlikely that the Saenuri Party is unaware that a single history textbook goes against the historical flow of our time, and that the party is likely trying to “rally its voter-base for next year‘s elections.” On the other hand, Yoon Hee-woong, Director of media analyst center Opinion Live, speculates that the party seems intent on directly confronting the opposition in a clear-cut rivalry between conservative and liberal, as the current conservative voter base stands really strong. Trying to please conservatives and “revitalizing support for President Park Geun-hye in a defensive strategy” is not likely a concern for next year’s elections, he said.

By Seo Bo-mi, staff reporter

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