Conflict grows over new history textbooks

Conflicts are escalating over new history textbooks as their authors vowed to defy a government order to revise them.

“We won’t follow the order since the revision of history textbooks is beyond (the government’s) authority,” the group of authors of seven out of eight newly approved history textbooks said in a joint statement on Friday.

The announcement came hours after the Ministry of Education ordered modification of 41 cases of what it claimed were “obscure and imbalanced” descriptions of history.

The ministry told them to submit revised versions no later than Tuesday, warning that otherwise it would suspend their publication.

The authors, however, are now mulling considering legal action against the order, accusing the ministry of abusing its authority.

“We can’t accept (the ministry’s order) as it neither follows legal procedure nor recognizes the authorized textbook screening system,” said Sangmyung University professor Chu Chin-oh, who represented the authors.

“We’re looking to file a lawsuit (if the ministry suspends the textbooks’ publication), and if necessary we’ll go to Constitutional Court to resolve the matter,” he added.

They argued that the textbooks were already approved by the national textbook-screening committee.

The National Institute of Korean History, the screening panel commissioned by the ministry, authorized in August the eight Korean history textbooks to be used at high schools from next year.

Last month, the ministry ordered 829 instances of revision and supplementation for all eight textbooks. The publishers revised most parts, but 41 cases remain unchanged after authors of the seven books, excluding the book from Kyohak Publishing Co., had refused to fully comply with the ministry’s recommendation.

The 41 corrections reordered by the ministry include descriptions on civilian killings during the 1950-53 Korean War, the 2010 deadly sinking of the Cheonan warship and human rights abuses by North Korean authorities.

Meanwhile, teachers and parents have expressed concern about the delay of publication potentially disrupting students’ education.

“The ministry is causing confusion by ordering another revision. It is now impossible for each high school to select their history textbooks for next year,” the civic group called the National Association of Parents for True Education said.

The process of approving textbooks has sparked controversy repeatedly since 2003, when the government first allowed private publishers to publish history textbooks. Before that, schools could only use state-authorized history textbooks. It is now up to each high school to select from books listed by the screening committee.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)