By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
Elementary school students are expected to start learning about the easternmost islets of Dokdo from the fourth grade, one year ahead of the current curriculum, beginning next year.
"We will review the reinforcement of Dokdo education in a revised curriculum for elementary school students next year, so 4th graders can start learning about it," Minister of Education, Science and Technology Ahn Byong-man said at the National Assembly, Monday.
His remarks are seen as a countermeasure to Japan's latest move to assert that the islets, known as "Takeshima" in Japan are theirs in elementary school textbooks.
The Japanese government last month approved a set of social studies textbooks for fifth graders describing Dokdo as part of Japan. One version of the textbooks says the islets are "illegally occupied" by South Korea.
Currently, elementary students are not given comprehensive education on the geography and history of Dokdo until they reach the 5th or 6th grade, as younger students are not scholastically mature enough to grasp the territorial dispute surrounding the islets.
According to a guideline for teachers, instructions are focused on helping students understand that "imperial Japan illegally incorporated Dokdo as their territory during the Russo-Japanese War" and on enlightening students of the "irrationality of Japan's attempts to undermine Korea's sovereignty of Dokdo."
The minister also said that an ad-hoc committee on Dokdo will be established within the ministry to make Dokdo education more effective for elementary, middle and high school curriculums.
A lack of education has been blamed for the youth's ignorance of age-old historical conflicts like the Dokdo issue.
A recent study by Korea University found that only 62.9 percent of 218 respondents were able to clearly elaborate on why Dokdo was Korean territory.
The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations will hold special lessons nationwide for elementary and high schools students this month on Korea's sovereignty over the islets.
Dokdo, known for abundant fishing and other valuable marine resources, lies 90 kilometers from Korea's Ulleung Island in the East Sea. Seoul has maintained a Coast Guard unit on the islets since 1954.
Japan has consistently claimed that Dokdo is Japanese territory historically and under international law.