Park stresses `accurate' history education
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in, fourth from left, and other lawmakers argue with members of conservative civic groups during the party’s signature-collecting campaign in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday, to protest state-authored history textbooks. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun
Opposition to link textbook issue to legislative activities
By Do Je-hae, Jun Ji-hye
President Park Geun-hye
President Park Geun-hye underlined the importance of “accurate” history education Tuesday, showing her full support for the government’s plan to retake control of the publication of history textbooks.
Park said that history education should not be the subject of political strife or ideological conflict.
This was the first time for Park to openly express her position about the history book row, which is causing a National Assembly gridlock ahead of its regular review of the government’s budget.
“History education shouldn’t divide the people or students,” she said during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae held just before she headed to Washington for a four-day trip.
“It is our mission to foster students’ accurate view of history as they hold the key to the future.”
She called on lawmakers to stop creating “unnecessary controversies” that cause social division.
The National Assembly Committee on Budget and Accounts will start its review of next year’s budget, Oct. 28. The Assembly is also scheduled to review a wide range of economy-related bills during regular sessions this month.
However, the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) vowed to link the textbooks issue to legislative activities to protest the government’s plan.
The NPAD’s fierce resistance to the textbook revision has provoked speculation that the main opposition may apply its boycott of bipartisan talks to legislations unrelated to the textbooks.
The main opposition is considering budgetary sanctions to deter the government’s textbook plan. The NPAD said it will boycott future reviews of the budget and legislation regarding the government’s plan to exclusively publish history textbooks. “We will not extend any cooperation on discussions for the budget of the state-authored textbooks,” Rep. Choi Jae-cheon, head of the NPAD’s policy committee in a party meeting Tuesday. Choi said that his party will re-examine the budget for the organization charged with writing the books, the National Institute of Korean History (NIKH) affiliated with the education ministry.
The ruling Saenuri Party criticized the NPAD for linking the textbook row with the upcoming parliamentary proceedings.
“The people will not support a party that looks away from the problems related to the peoples’ livelihood and focuses on street protests,” the floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul said in a meeting.
He was referring to the NPAD lawmakers who took to the streets to publicize their opposition to the state-authored textbooks. “We should entrust the textbook issue to the NIKH and focus on the people’s livelihood.”
The main opposition continued its protest of the state-authored textbooks, Tuesday. NPAD Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in launched a signature collecting campaign to spread its anti-state textbook stance near the Assembly.
But their campaign was disturbed by members of conservative civic groups in support of the plan. After some bickering between the two sides, the NPAD withdrew.
Rival parties collided over the government-issued single history textbook during an interpellation session a day after the education ministry announced administrative measures for the transition from the current multiple textbooks system.
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) grilled Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn about the education ministry’s announcement Monday to restore the government’s exclusive publishing authority on history textbooks for middle and high schools.
Hwang reiterated the government’s position that an overhaul of the current textbooks was necessary for a balanced history education. “The government is not seeking to impose a certain type of ideology,” Hwang said. “The government’s goal is to develop balanced materials based on facts and Constitutional values. We are working with experts and authors to that end.”
The opposition lawmakers criticized the prime minister for using distorted information supplied by the education ministry to base his argument on the fallacies of some left-leaning textbooks. “Hwang said that some textbooks state the both the Koreas share the blame for the outbreak of the Korean War, but this is not true,” NPAD Rep. Lee Un-ju said.
Meanwhile, the NPAD lawmakers who belong to the Assembly Education, Culture, Sports & Tourism Committee visited Cheong Wa Dae to deliver a letter of protest to President Park.