[Reportage] A funeral for history education, and democracy, in central Seoul

Posted on : 2015-10-13 17:58 KST Modified on : 2015-10-13 17:58 KST
Civic, educational and student groups come out to protest government control of history education
 protesting the government’s plans to reintroduce state history textbooks
protesting the government’s plans to reintroduce state history textbooks

A black band was draped over “history education” and “democracy.” There were grave expressions on the faces of the 50 or so history scholars, professors, and intellectuals who were gathered in front of the Cheongwoon Hyojadong Community Service Center in the Jongno District of Seoul on Oct. 12.

“Today is a day of crisis for historical scholarship in Korea,” said Lee Jun-sik, a researcher at the Center for Historical Truth and Justice, who was wearing black funeral attire.

On Monday - when the government announced that it would take over the production of Korean history textbooks - protests were held to criticize the government in various parts of central Seoul.

The Network Against State-Issued Korean History Textbooks, an umbrella group representing around 400 organizations, including the Center for Historical Truth and Justice and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, held a press conference in front of the Cheongun Hyoja Neighborhood Center on Monday morning and criticized the government‘s decision to take over the production of Korean history textbooks.

“State-produced textbooks will teach that [Park Chung-hee’s coup] on May 16[, 1961,] was an inevitable choice and that the October Yushin created the foundation for economic development, and they will obliterate children’s critical thinking skills and imagination,” said Lee Yi-hwa, a scholar of history.

Cha Yeong-jo, a descendent of independence activist Cha Ri-seok., delivered a petition to the Blue House containing the signatures of 68,428 people opposed to the state-issued textbooks.

In front of the Central Government Complex, the sound of a traditional funeral requiem could be heard.

One of the 40 or so history students who had gathered to sing the requiem was Kim Jong-min, 19, from the department of history at Dongguk University. “In a democratic society, the process of reaching an agreement can be a little messy, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on that process and reject it,” Kim said.

On Monday, 1,991 history students like Kim - representing 40 undergraduate history departments, 23 history education programs, and 3 graduate programs - published a statement expressing their opposition to the government plan.

“I‘m ready to live as a history student should without becoming the mouthpiece for the government,” said Kang Seong-uk, 22, the sociology student at Hanshin University who came up with the idea for the statement.

Young members of the Group of Students Participating in Emergency Demonstrations to Block Government Production of Korean History Textbooks - which includes nine groups of young people, including the Peace Butterfly Network and Youth Union Korea - also took to the streets.

Some students climbed atop the bronze statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin at Gwanghwamun Square, where they hung a banner that said, “We Won’t Tolerate Park Geun-hye’s State-Issued Textbooks.” A group of students attempted to march to the Blue House, and 17 of them were detained by the police along the way.

Civic groups and political parties also released statements.

“Since the Kyohak textbook was ignored, [the government] is taking the radical step of resurrecting the state-issued textbook system, which is a vestige of the dictatorial period,” the Young Korean Academy said.

“This is an anti-constitutional action that violates the decision of the Constitutional Court, which ruled that the review and approval system adheres more closely to the principles of the constitution than state-issued textbooks,” the National Council of Churches in Korea said.

“History is a field in which various viewpoints and interpretations compete freely and are debated democratically,” the Green Party said.

By Choi Woo-ri and Kim Kyu-nam, staff reporters

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