hankyoreh

Members of the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy

Lawmakers from the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) and the Justice Party took to the streets along with civic groups on Oct. 27 in a candle-lit protest of government plans to take over the authorship of Korean history textbooks. Though the opposition party has consistently opposed the government plans, this is the first time that it has held a large-scale assembly outside of the National Assembly.

On Tuesday evening - the same day that President Park Geun-hye made an address before the National Assembly - the NPAD held an assembly opposing the state-issued textbooks at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul.

Previously, the NPAD had held a relay-style one-person protest in the plaza maintained by members of the party‘s standing committee and had organized other one-person protests in various parts of the country, but this was the first time that the party held a demonstration in which all of its lawmakers participated.

On Tuesday, the NPAD strongly objected to Park’s repeated declaration of her determination to bring the authorship of history textbooks under government control. “When President Park claimed that state-issued textbooks would normalize history education and emphasizes their legitimacy, she actually only incited public discord. If President Park wants to unite the divided public through accurate history textbooks as she said, she should scrap her textbook plans at once,” said senior party spokesperson Kim Yeong-rok.

After the demonstration, the NPAD - along with the Justice Party; Rep. Cheon Jeong-bae, an independent lawmaker; and a civic group called the Network Against State-Issued Korean History Textbooks - organized a rally against the government‘s plan called “The Government Should Govern, Not Write Textbooks.” NPAD head Moon Jae-in, Justice Party leader Shim Sang-jung, and Rep. Cheon had agreed to act together in opposition to the state-issued textbooks.

By organizing the rally with civic groups, more people are naturally expected to join the opposition’s campaign to halt the state-issued textbooks. Cultural figures and artists, including singer An Chi-hwan, as well as ordinary people, participated in the rally.

In addition to this, the NPAD is planning to devote all of its effort in the battle for public opinion through Nov. 2, when the period for reviewing the government‘s plan to take over authorship of textbooks will end.

Party leader Moon Jae-in, party floor leader Lee Jong-geol, and Do Jong-hwan, chair of the party’s special committee to block state-issued Korean history textbooks, agreed to go on a bus tour opposing the government’s plan from Oct. 28 to Nov. 2. During the bus tour, the party leaders intend to distribute promotional material providing seven reasons for opposing state-issued textbooks and to collect 10 million signatures for a petition.

On Nov. 2, when the review period comes to an end, NPAD lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee will make a protest visit to the Education Ministry and deliver petitions and opposition statements collected from local assemblies in 17 cities and provinces.

In addition, they will continue running the “Korean History Textbook Experience Zone” until the government confirms the plan on Nov. 5 and will work with history professors to organize one-day street lectures on Korean history.

By Lee Seung-joon, staff reporter

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