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| Students at the Korea University protest against the government's plan to publish standardized history textbooks during a press conference on the school campus in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap |
By Lee Kyung-min
An increasing number of history professors are joining protests against the government's plan to publish a standardized history textbook, refusing to take part in the project.
Such a move may make it difficult for the government to secure enough scholars as authors. Concerns are also growing that the books may fail to guarantee a balanced view of history as the government pledges.
All 13 history professors at Yonsei University issued a statement Tuesday, vowing not to participate as authors in what they call, "a move of shameless regression of democracy that goes against our conscience.
"We don't think the government will ask us to write, but we will refuse any involvement in the government's textbook-making," they said in the statement.
They said the government measure is not an issue of education but rather politics.
"The Park Geun-hye administration's move mirrors the Yushin era 40 years ago under her father Park Chung-hee's regime," they said. "But Korea this time is different from 40 years ago, and many teachers at schools will give a correct interpretation of the wrong history in the textbook."
The Yushin Constitution in 1972 provided the groundwork for then-President Park to extend his authoritarian rule.
On Wednesday, nine history professors at Kyunghee University joined the move. "We pursue education and study that recognize diversity and creativity in history interpretation," they said in a statement.
Twenty-two professors from Korea University also made the same vow.
Before the government's official announcement of the plan, hundreds of professors at major universities in the country, including 34 at Seoul National University, issued similar statements to express concerns about the government move, which they fear will focus on right-leaning views. They are expected to follow suit in boycotting the authoring.
Besides the issue of securing authors, the government is facing another issue of a time shortage.
With about a year left until the deadline for the book's first draft due in November of next year, a complete and full review of the content before publication is unlikely.
"Writing a history book about any specific subject or timeframe takes more than a couple of years at least. Given that, how can the government come up with textbook that fully and accurately covers all of Korean history in a year?" lawyer Yang Ji-yeol said.
Although the National Institute of Korean History (NIKH), an institution under the Ministry of Education, said it will have public discussions and hearings to help guarantee the whole process is transparent by reflecting as much criticism as possible, doubt remains over whether it will really accept opinions from liberal scholars.
The NIKH plans to announce the details about the authoring, including the number of authors to be selected and how to recruit them, and the authoring schedule soon.
