ed Modern history debate

Korea cannot blame Japan while hiding own shades

Korea, Japan and China have been engaged in “history war” for years. Japan has been glossing over its brutal colonial rule and wartime atrocities while China is attempting to hijack Korea’s ancient kingdom of Goguryeo as its provincial tributary. As if these external attacks are not enough, Korea is also mired in an ideological “civil war” over its modern history.

A Korean history textbook written by “New Right” scholars has recently passed the main review of a screening committee. The conservative academics wrote an “alternative” history book in 2008 but it is the first time their textbook has won formal approval. Barring some unexpected incidents, there may be high schools using the history book next March.

This is cause for concern, given the highly politicized and ideology-oriented nature of its authors. The exact content of the new history book is yet to be known. But one can easily guess it from the remarks and writings of its main pushers who have complained existing books lean toward “left” too much.

For example, the right-wing scholars criticize the old textbooks for placing too much emphasis on anti-Japanese fights to regain national independence and anti-dictatorial democratic struggles while belittling economic growth and industrialization. So they call the May 16, 1961, military coup a “revolution,” while deprecating the April 19, 1960, popular uprising as just a “student movement,” and the May 18, 1980, democracy movement as a “riot.”

Some of the New Right scholars go as far as to positively evaluate Japan’s colonization of Korea as laying the foundation for modernization, and justify general-turned-President Park Chung-hee’s attempts to prolong dictatorial rule as somewhat inevitable.

In short, these rightists are responding to what they see as leftist bias with a distortion of the facts. No Koreans in their right minds can agree to the Japanese rightists’ denial of wartime sex slaves, nor can they rationalize the former dictator’s bid for a permanent presidency. Only those who are bent on protecting their vested interests accumulated through opportunism can dare to distort these stark historical truths. No countries with a modicum of pride in its history should allow these traitorous elements to disgrace their fatherland.

We don’t completely agree with some liberals’ views, which regard modern history as only the struggle between pro-Japanese and anti-Japanese forces. Nor do we think former Presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee were just pro-Japanese leaders who abused their own people with heavy-handed rule. Rhee fought for national independence while young and tried to minimize foreign influence on the newborn nation. Few can also deny Park’s role in Korea’s economic development, although it would have been far better if the economic growth had been made in a more democratic ― if less dramatic ― way.

But one should never deny Rhee ignored parliament and political parties and Park was ruthless with anyone who took issue with his development dictatorship, which is why most Koreans with historical and democratic awareness hesitate to call them “founding father” or “father of industrialization.” What historians should do ― and textbooks teach ― are the objective facts by explaining about these controversial figures’ merits and demerits, or the good and harm they did to the nation. What’s needed is not to fall to extremes but to consider others, especially those who sacrificed themselves for bigger causes.

We can’t help but notice the textbook revision drive is taking its first fruit under the Park Geun-hye administration. President Park may want to reinstate her father to the maximum, but she should leave it to ordinary people’s judgment. The harder she strives toward that end, the stronger her efforts will backfire.

The New Rights’ words and deeds are strikingly similar to their Japanese counterparts, ranging from textbook-revising attempts to campaigns to replace “historical masochism” with “national pride.”

People learn history to reflect on past mistakes, and not to repeat them. To know how empty self-pride coming from self-justification is, the New Right people only need to watch across the East Sea.