New history organization to fuel debate on ancient territories

Historians critical of scholars’ colonial views formed a new organization on Sunday to push their claims on ancient territories, a move expected to pour further fuel on a debate with their academic opponents.

The Council for Correct History for Future was launched with the Hangaram History and Culture Research Center, among other private organizations, as founding members. An official with the council said 115 organizations have signed up, with more to soon follow suit.

These historians have been slammed by other academics for making “bogus claims” for larger Korean ancient territories without sufficient historical evidence.

The council countered Sunday that it will correct colonial views that side with the Japanese rulers of Korea from 1910 to 1945.

“Seeing our history from the perspective of the Japanese colonial government remains the dominant view in our historical studies,” said Huh Sung-kwan, former interior minister and the head of the council. “It’s now time for the organizations that have waged separate battles to set the history straight to come together.”

Officials said they were compelled to form the new council in response to growing criticism about their views. The Society for Korean Ancient History, for instance, has been giving public lectures since the start of this year to dispute the council members’ claims on ancient Korean territories.

The two factions have been at odds over the location of a river believed to form part of the border between Old Joseon, the first Korean kingdom believed to have existed until 108 B.C., and a Chinese kingdom.

The academics say, citing historical documents and relics, that Nakrang, a key Old Joseon district, was set up near present-day Pyongyang and that the kingdom’s western boundary didn’t go past the Liaohe River in northeast China.

Their opponents believe that both Nakrang and the now-defunct river were west of the Liaohe, and the attempts to confine old territories to Korean Peninsula represent the colonial historical views. (Yonhap)