S. Korean HS Textbook Breaks Taboo
Published 7:00 pm, Monday, February 3, 2003
Associated Press Writer
For decades, praise of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's late national founder, was a crime in South Korea. Old South Korean cartoons portrayed him as a demonic pig backed by gun-toting wolves.
But a historic inter-Korean summit in 2000 has slowly eroded such Cold War-era attitudes. Now, a newly approved batch of high school history textbooks give unprecedented mention to an anti-Japanese guerrilla battle allegedly led by Kim.
But while South Koreans welcome the greater freedom of speech, some question the new editions' accuracy and fear the books follow North Korean propaganda. The textbooks will be issued to high schools in March.
Yu Im-hyun of the Seoul-based civic group, the Alliance of Korean Citizen for True Korean History, notes a standing dispute over whether Kim _ who died in 1994 but is still revered by state propagandists in the North _ had led the so-called "Pochonbo battle" in 1937.
"There are many other untold similar anti-Japanese struggles. I don't know why Pochonbo should go in," Yu said. "Personally, I think this is another concession to North Korea."
North Korea has glorified the battle at Pochonbo, near the border with China, as a huge victory. South Korean historians say it was a minor clash of little historical significance.
The Education Ministry and the textbook publishers said the reference sticks to facts without directly linking the battle to Kim. The books are not yet on the market.
The textbook by Kumsung Publishing Co. mentions the battle in its footnote, and clarifies the dispute over Kim's participation, said Song Hwa-ja, a company official.
Kumsung's book states: "North Korea honors the battle as a monumental victory led by Kim Il Sung, but there is dispute in South Korea over its accuracy."
Another textbook by Daehan Printing & Publishing Co. only carries a picture of a 1937 newspaper article about the battle.
Such disputes over breaking decades-old North Korean taboos are not new in South Korea.
During last year's Asian Games in South Korea, some criticized the government for allowing organizers to fly North Korean flags and play the communist country's anthem.
The disputes often tied in with criticism of President Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine" policy of engaging the North as ceding too much, while getting little in return. The policy had set the stage for the 2000 summit between Kim and Kim Il Sung's son and successor, Kim Jong Il.
"We cannot say the reference is totally unrelated to the summit," said Ku Nan-hee, an official at the Education Ministry's educational policy department.
"The viewpoint of history changes as time changes," she said.
Many say the most important thing is that students learn the truth.
"If it's true, it should go in the history book. If not, it shouldn't," said Kim Soon-seok, 62, who runs a movie rental shop in Seoul. "We just need to make sure that our children learn about the true characteristics of Kim, the communist."