GNP Calls for Revelation of Members of Textbook Screening Committee

Controversy over the alleged distortion of facts in high school textbooks that describe accomplishments of the incumbent Kim Dae-jung government is escalating.

▽Response of the political sector

The Grand National Party (GNP) regards the biased description in favor of the incumbent government as an `affront to the national morality` and decided to form a special committee at the party level in order to push ahead with a parliamentary investigation. This is in an attempt to reveal whether there was an external pressure in the process of selecting members of the textbook authorizing committee, and to identify who should take responsibility for the approval of what the party calls the `distorted` history textbooks.

In response, the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) agreed on the need for balanced description of history. But the party disputed that the GNP is launching a political offensive by raising suspicions of external pressure, signaling that the controversy will escalate into a political dispute.

Suh Chung-won, GNP chairman said in a press conference, "As there are a number of biased description toward the incumbent administration in the approved history textbook, the GNP will for a special task force including outside figures to call for the revision of distorted contents." A GNP official urged a thorough review of approved textbooks, saying, "Not only authorized textbooks but also some substitute textbooks are based on a materialistic or populist view of history, making them similar to North Korean textbooks."

Rep. Kwon Cheol-hyun said, "I suspect that the President`s confidants got involved in lionizing the incumbent administration. This issue can be interpreted as a pre-election campaign in the run up to the presidential election."

Lee Nak-yeon, MDP spokesman said in a statement, "The description of history textbooks should be precise and balanced. Appropriate measures to revise the biased description of the authorized textbooks should be taken after a close review of the textbooks. That is a necessary step in that accomplishments and mistakes of past governments as well as the incumbent government should be fairly and impartially described."

Rep. Lee Mi-gyeong noted, "There were controversies over the description of modern history in textbooks in the past. It is not understandable that the incident this time is being exaggerated and used to stir political wrangling by some politicians. Politically motivated remarks labeling this issue as distortion of textbooks can lead yet another distortion of reality and history."

▽GNP calls for the revelation of members of the textbook screening committee.

The GNP demanded that the government reveal the members of the textbook authorizing committee in the parliamentary education committee.

Rep. Kim Jung-sook said on the 1st, "The Education Ministry took the lead in choosing the members of the committee, ignoring the recommendation of the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE)."

Lee Sang-ju, Deputy Prime Minister and the Education Minister said, "Some media reports that the textbooks are distorted are exaggeration. I can present the list of members of the textbook authorizing committee if it is not to be made public."

The Education Ministry said, "Out of 16 figures recommended by KICE, four were participating in writing another textbooks and three turned down the proposal. Two out of the remaining Nine were finally appointed."

Regarding this, an official in the Education Ministry did not rule out the possibility that the ministry arbitrarily select the committee members. He said, "The recommendation by local offices of education is usually based on connections or career. As to university professors, the Education Ministry selects committee members among professors registered on Korea Research Foundation."

In-Chul Lee Sung-Won Park inchul@donga.com swpark@donga.com