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Korea University professor Choi Gwang-shik, head of the Koguryo Research Forundation, claimed Wednesday that, "China's distortions of Koguryo history are more serious than Japanese history textbook distortions, " and demanded the government prepare basic countermeasures.
Choi, attending a bull session with the National Assembly's Unification, Diplomacy and Trade Committee, made the above claims in a report entitled, "China's Koguryo History Distortions and Our Response."
His claims were based on two grounds. Firstly, in the case of Japan's historical distortions, only one of the textbooks approved for classroom use by the Japanese Ministry of Education -- the "New History Textbook" -- was problematic, while in the case of China's historical distortions, Chinese government bodies are driving the distortions. Moreover, China's distortions do not stop at Koguryo, but extend to Balhae and Gojoseon -- two other ancient Korean kingdoms -- as well.
Choi pointed out, "If we go by what the Chinese are claiming, it might result in Korean history being no more than 2,000 years old, and in terms of space, it might be confined to only those areas south of the Han River."
Following this, the professor advised that people firmly understand the logic and grounds behind the Chinese claims, and proposed full-scale research and data collection on the historical, geographic and ethnic issues concerning China's northeastern region (i.e., Manchuria) in order to make long-term preparations against Chinese historical distortions.
Moreover, claiming that China's "Northeastern Project" began with the application to UNESCO to register Koguryo tombs in North Korea as World Heritage Sites, he suggested turning the protection of Koguryo history through joint North-South action into a model example of intra-Korean cooperation.
Together with this, Choi said that in order to respond to Chinese academic "human wave" tactics and mass attacks over historical distortions, Korea should กใ open a website describing Chinese historical distortions; กใ confirm the historical indentity of Koguryo through international academic conferences and push international publicity campaigns; and กใ establish a research institution corresponding with the Chinese Academy of Social Science's "Chinese Borderlands Project."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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