Prosecutors on Wednesday launched an investigation into a booklet by the powerful teachers¡¯ union¡¯s Busan chapter that borrowed heavily from a North Korean textbook. As reported in the Chosun Ilbo on Tuesday, the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers' Union¡¯s local chapter excerpted the textbook unacknowledged to write seminar materials that describe the Korean War as the North¡¯s ¡°struggle to liberate the motherland¡± and hail its ¡°military first¡± policy. Prosecutors want to know if the booklet violates the National Security Law.
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Pro-North Korean materials posted on websites of local chapters of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers¡¯ Union.
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The teachers¡¯ union excerpted the 1983 North Korean history textbook verbatim to fill more than two-thirds of the seminar materials. It is a condensed version of a North Korean series titled ¡°The Complete Korean History.¡± Prosecutors say both the textbook and the series were deemed illegal by a South Korean court in the 1990s.
But a prosecutor said close scrutiny of the booklet is necessary to decide whether it can be said to ¡°benefit the enemy¡± under the security law taking changing times into account. Publications found to benefit the North in the past may not do so now, he said. However, he did not rule out that the National Security Law does apply since prosecutors consider the booklet ideologically dangerous given that it was written with the aim of passing pro-North Korean history views to students.
The Education Ministry on Wednesday said those involved will also face disciplinary measures if the booklet is found illegal.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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