A state-run museum in China has invited strong criticism here for distorting Korean history about two ancient kingdoms ― Goguryeo and Balhae. The National Museum of China in Beijing excluded the two kingdoms in its chronology of ancient Korean history during an exhibition titled “Auspicious Metals from the Orient: Ancient Bronzes of China, Korea and Japan.” It is being co-hosted by the National Museum of Korea and Tokyo National Museum until Oct. 9.
In addition to Gojoseon, Korea's first kingdom, the chronology refers to other kingdoms such as Silla, Baekje, Gaya, Goryeo and Joseon, which were all located on the Korean Peninsula. But it omitted Goguryeo (37 B.C. ― A.D. 668) and Balhae (698-926), which also occupied the northeastern area of today's China, including Manchuria.
More perplexingly, the Chinese museum claimed that the “distorted” chronology was provided by Korea, a claim rebuffed by the Korean museum. “The Chinese side arbitrarily edited the data we offered. We have called on it to make prompt corrections and an apology,” it said in a press release. The Chinese museum cannot avoid criticism as its seemingly reckless move will undermine the trust between Seoul and Beijing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also lodged a strong protest, asking for immediate correction of the relevant information.
China has been taking flak for distorting ancient Korean history, as part of the “Northeast Project,” claiming that Goguryeo and Balhae were counted among its provincial governments. For one thing, Chinese President Xi Jinping triggered anger after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in April 2017, from which Trump later quoted Xi as saying the entire Korean Peninsula “used to be a part of China.”
It is unimaginable for the Chinese side to have skewed Korea's history during an exhibition held in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, despite the need to cherish the value of mutual respect in accordance with international norms. China should give a thorough explanation regarding the exclusion of Goguryeo and Balhae from the chronology.
Yet, it is totally improper for Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning to describe the matter as a mere academic issue, rebuffing the need to hype it up politically. China should bear in mind that anti-China sentiment will flare up here should it fail to make a sincere apology and pledge not to repeat such an incident. China vowed to make efforts to prevent “bilateral ties from being damaged due to the history issue” during a 2006 summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and Chinese leader Hu Jintao. But it has failed to abide by the pledge.
A sense of antipathy toward China is feared to spread quickly among young Koreans, in particular, unless China shifts its attitude. Relevant Korean authorities should also take responsibility. Though the exhibition kicked off July 26, the Korean museum and the Korean Embassy in Beijing were unaware of the misleading chronology for almost one month.
It is also necessary to review the role of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, which was set up in 2005 with the task of coping with China's possible distortions of history. The organization has been the target of public criticism as it has failed to present tangible consequences thus far regarding China's repeated attempts to distort history.