Opposition launches campaign to block state textbooks

New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in, center, Justice Party Chairwoman Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, left, and Rep. Chun Jung-bae greet citizens in Sinchon, Seoul, Wednesday, during a campaign to collect 10 million signatures to protest the envisioned state history textbooks. / Yonhap

By Do Je-hae

An opposition coalition launched a campaign Wednesday to collect ten million signatures protesting President Park Geun-hye’s move to introduce state-authored history textbooks for middle and high schools.

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in, Justice Party Chairwoman Rep. Sim Sang-jeung and opposition-turned independent lawmaker Chun Jung-bae gathered in Sinchon to urge citizen participation in their movement.

“The opposition coalition will work together until the government and the Saenuri Party renounce their plan for state-authored textbooks,” Moon said.

The opposition leader stressed the importance of citizen participation in the campaign to turn public opinion against state-textbooks. “Citizens must work with us to block the government’s plan,” he said.

During a Supreme Council meeting earlier Wednesday, Moon pressured President Park for a clear answer to their demand to stop the plan. He will meet with President Park today with Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung and the floor leaders of the two parties. “For the future of the country, the state textbook plan must be scrapped immediately. The President must respond clearly during our meeting,” Moon said.

Minor Justice Party leader Sim said that the plan was turning the nation backward. “Introduction of state textbooks is an anachronistic idea,” she said. “If the President does not abandon this delusional thinking, she will face resistance from the entire nation.”

Chun, who defected from the NPAD and ran during the April by-election as an independent, has joined forces with his old party to protest the textbooks. He slammed President Park and the ruling party for using the issue to galvanize conservatives ahead of the April general election. “They are using the textbook issue politically to drive the country into an ideological war ahead of the elections,” Chun said.

The campaign is among several joint anti-state textbook projects to be conducted by the coalition. They will hold a series of seminars and an exhibition in front of Seoul City Hall to refute claims by the supporters of the state textbooks that the current textbooks are ideologically biased. The exhibition will open Oct. 24.

The three leaders gathered Monday to discuss further ways of cooperation in blocking the government’s state textbooks plan.

The tripartite meeting came as a wave of protests against the government is getting fiercer. Many historians have said they will not participate in writing the textbooks since the education ministry announced its plan to monopolize the publication of history textbooks for secondary education earlier this month.

Even some ruling party lawmakers voiced their opposition to state textbooks during media interviews Wednesday.

“The plan is against the times,” Rep. Chung Doo-un said. “In an age of diversity, a state monopoly is not the appropriate way to address the fallacies of textbooks.”