ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.09.01 15:02
The draft “2022 Revised Korean History Curriculum” released by the Ministry of Education the day before yesterday contains historical distortions and biased views. It is feared that the textbooks will be created according to the curriculum and the educational standards will be decided by the superintendents of the municipalities and provinces.
Looking at the contents makes me feel gloomy. It ignores objective facts that cannot be disputed, and is full of biased views that conflict with the Constitution. The research director, who sparked controversy when he said, “Yo Kwang-soon is a hero created by pro-Japanese factions,” has been criticized for starting with the wrong button in curriculum development.
The biggest mistake was the deletion of the term “southern invasion” (invasion to the south) in relation to the Korean War (Korean War). This creates distortion by hiding the fact of North Korea’s aggression. In particular, it might provide an excuse for the reappearance of revisionist historical views of the 1980s movement, such as `Syngman Lee led the invasion`.
The “southern invasion” is a matter that has already been controversial. Former General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party Nikita Khrushchev revealed in a memoir published in the United States in 1970 that Kim Il-sung had visited Stalin since 1949 and insisted on an invasion of the south, and Stalin acquiesced. did. In 1993, definitive documents were found in the Russian archives that proved the “southern invasion”.
Even Russian textbooks now clearly state “southern invasion.” However, the Moon Jae-in government tried to remove the term “southern invasion” when it revised the curriculum in 2018. Although it was canceled due to public opposition, the same controversy continues.
The removal of the word “freedom” from “liberal democracy” is also problematic. In 2018, he tried to remove the word “freedom,” but following public criticism, he added the expression “liberal democratic basic order” to the preamble to the constitution. But this time I’ve left it all out. Those who advocate the deletion of “freedom” say that “democracy includes liberalism and is not necessary,” or that “freedom is a term that emphasizes the North-South conflict.”
However, liberal democracy is not a term used solely for regime competition with North Korea. It is very meaningful to warn of the dangers of democracy without liberalism. Due to the nature of the decision-making system of majority rule, democracy has the danger of being overpowered by the majority. For this reason, liberalism that “defines the limits of power and prevents tyranny of the majority” (“free”) is the only way to check anti-intellectualism such as “legislative monopoly” and “populism.” can be done.
It is for the same reason that the Constitution clearly states the expression “liberal democratic basic order”. The Yun Seok-yeol government, which has emphasized liberalism, has announced a curriculum that distorts history and ignores the old legal system. The research started with the previous government, but 100 days following its inauguration, there is no excuse. The Department of Education has a big problem. A draft curriculum that distorts even objective facts and injects a biased view of history should be reviewed as soon as possible.
