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High school textbooks of modern Korean history will be rewritten to remove what the government says is leftwing bias, especially parts that question the legitimacy of the Syngman Rhee government and hold South Korea responsible for the division of the Korean Peninsula. High schools will be able to use the revised textbooks for second- and third-year students from March.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on Thursday said writers of history textbooks have agreed to rewrite 102 of 253 controversial parts in six history textbooks identified by the Defense Ministry, the Unification Ministry and the Textbook Forum. The Ministry said that it will recommend writers revise another 55.
The parts writers have agreed to change include those that question the Syngman Rhee government¡¯s legitimacy and glorify the Kim Il-sung regime in North Korea. Publishers are currently revising those sections. The Education Ministry and publishers will make the final decision on whether to alter the other 55 after discussions.
Sim Eun-sug, director-general of education policy, said, ¡°In deciding what to revise, we focused on whether the textbooks question the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea or whether they instill pride in the country¡¯s history in students.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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