Museum for future dreams

The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History was opened Wednesday in central Seoul as the country`s first public museum to feature modern Korean history. The Lee Myung-bak administration carried out the project to "normalize negative historical views" on the history of the Republic of Korea. In a speech commemorating National Liberation Day in 2008, his first year in office, the president pledged to "build a museum of modern history to have our achievements go down in history and ensure that our brilliant legacy is passed on." The plan reflects the perception by right-wing forces who took pride in building today`s South Korea, and overcoming poverty and the Korean War after liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

The construction of the museum hit a snag due to heated disputes over which period was to be featured. Strictly speaking, the museum had to deal with the country`s history following the 1948 founding of the Republic of Korea. The government faced a rebuttal, however, that the history of the provisional Korean government, or the one based in Shanghai because of exile during the colonial period, would be excluded. Finally, the conclusion was reached that the museum will deal with the nation`s modern history following the 1876 opening of ports for international trade. The dispute centered on interpretation of the country`s modern history.

In South Korea, two opposing views about the nation`s founding dominate. One has it that the country`s beginning was after the division of the Korean Peninsula into two halves and the other says South Korea`s adoption of a liberal democracy and market economy laid the foundation for the country`s prosperity. Certain groups consider history only from the perspectives of how democracy progressed in the country. Though the museum says its principle is to show economic development and democratization from a balanced viewpoint, left- and right-wing groups have begun to complain about the museum. A progressive history group said in a public statement Wednesday that the museum was "unilaterally embellishing (the country`s) modern history."

The museum presents the country`s modern history with a focus on incidents and events apparently to prevent controversy if it highlighted the achievements of historical figures. The opening had been scheduled for last month, but was postponed to reduce political ripple effects. Some say that had a liberal candidate won last week`s presidential election, the museum`s opening could have been further delayed. If the museum offers a balanced view of history, however, this could help heal the scars left by ideological conflict and confrontation. To fully explain Korea`s modern history with the logica of one side only is impossible. The museum should accurately present the rough path that the country has taken, and turn itself into a place for national integration.