On changing foreign textbooks
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By Kim Ji-myung
Did you know that 11 Koreans ― experts and staff ― work year-round to convince the authorities of other countries to revise parts of their textbooks?
I am talking about the CEFIA (Center for International Affairs) of the Academy of Korean Studies. The center is in charge of finding and correcting mistakes, errors and distortions on facts about Korea in school textbooks of other countries.
But making changes happen in a way we want to the statements already printed in another country's textbook is by no means easy. The Center reports that only about ten percent of the requests asking for correction sent to the authorities concerned have been accepted and realized.
It all started with an in-depth research of school textbooks in other countries, conducted by KEDI (Korea Education Development Institute) in 1990. The many cases and the astonishing nonsense written about Korea were alarming. There were common mistakes about country name, location, political and economic system, ethnic group, language, religion and culture.
Confusion and fallacies about specific historical events were also widespread in many textbooks. Authors used seriously outdated data, and sometimes confused facts between North and South Korea. In many textbooks Republic of Korea appears in an outdated, ugly, and negative light, in sharp contrast to her neighbors.
For various reasons, a whopping 47 percent of the 977 textbooks of 100 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013 carried erratic information about Korea. The CEFIA textbook team operates the Foreign Textbook Library. They seem to take big pride in the fact that it is the only library in Korea specializing in textbooks.
The library started with a collection of over 3,500 books in 2003. As of June 2011, it held 14,000 titles, including 9,200 foreign textbooks from 98 countries, as well as textbook-related research reports and educational policy data. A priority project of the center is analyzing textbooks, with particular attention paid to Korea’s image in the textbook and the relative importance given to the content on Korea.
The textbooks we are talking about here exclude higher education level, as they do not belong to the scope of government’s attention. Is it not time to examine whether we may need to change our approach if so much of our effort fails to bring about desired results?
We may need to question if we are stuck in an analog paradigm of performance measurement ― such as the number of books and quantity of materials? Maybe we need new strategies and tactics. The phrase ``Korea’s image in the text books” lingers around me. How do you request other countries to change contents of their textbooks regarding our image?
Vague or abstract requests simply beg for rejection. In this context, let me quote University of Connecticut Professor Alexis Dudden, author of ``Discourse and Power: Japan’s Annexation of Korea, 1910.” As a well-versed authority on the subject, she criticized a group of Japanese historians who demanded that U.S. textbook publisher McGraw-Hill correct ``the erroneous description of sexual slavery” in its college textbook.
Japan's wartime sexual slavery is a ``history that happened" and a ``grotesque violation of the human rights of those trapped within its state-sponsored system," she said.
An essential fact worthy of note is that the Japanese aim directly at the textbook publishing companies. And their demands are clear: which words to delete or change.
I have long believed that in international relations and people-to-people diplomacy, the Japanese appear constant, quiet, polite, and united under the flag of national interest. They seem to be guided by a mastermind with a long-term strategy. We Koreans behave quite the opposite. We are whimsical, outspoken, blunt, and fight among ourselves on the world stage.
We appear to have no plan. I hope I am wrong.
As if to prove my observation, I have recently learned about an organization called ISEI (International Society for Educational Information). Isn’t it amazing that Japan has tried for more than fifty years already to influence what youngsters in other countries learn about Japan’s past?
``ISEI was founded in 1958 as a nonprofit organization, affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its primary aim was to provide accurate information to other countries about Japan through the examination of accounts of Japan in textbooks gathered from all over the world." This is the official introduction of ISEI.
ISEI reportedly sends written request to the authors, editors and the publishing companies of textbooks, reference books and encyclopedias to ``correct errors” if there are any anti-Japanese or improper statements, prejudice or distortion about Japan. They would strongly demand correction even at the last minute before printing.
What is interesting is that its website https://www.isei.or.jp has been disowned since around 2000. Now it is the site for a rural welfare foundation for elderly people.
I cannot tell if this disconnection of the ISEI site was intentional or not. What is obvious is that complete removal of the traces of ISEI from the cyber world is almost impossible. It is true not only for an official organization but anyone.
I think there could be some lessons to learn from ISEI’s activities.
Encouraging news is that CEFIA has digitized all its data and work process for better access for everyone. This is the Korean style ― open, straightforward, and sometimes perhaps a little rude.
The writer is the chairwoman of the Korea Heritage Education Institute (K*Heritage). Her email address is Heritagekorea21@gmail.com .