Yoo Ki-hong, a former pro-democracy activist and Uri Party member of the ROK National Assembly, presented an overview of the political storm clouds hanging over the adoption of a high school history textbook in Japan. The book, known as the Fusosha textbook, glosses over Japan's occupation of Korea, ignores the subject of Korean "comfort women" and only mentions Japanese responsibility when it comes to taking credit for South Korea's economic progress. Approved for student use by the Japanese authorities, the book flies in the face of Japan's 1982 promise to consult with neighboring countries before designing 20th century history curriculum for its students. In and of itself, Yoo said, the book isn't a major issue. But in the context of recent efforts by Japanese nationalists to renounce the country's longstanding pacifist constitution and re-arm, the glorification of the country's aggression is deeply insulting and unsettling to South Koreans. The lack of atonement it represents has already led both South Korea and China to oppose Japan's ascension to a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.


Thursday, April 14, 2005

About the speaker


The Right's Distortion of History in Japan and Its Impact on Northeast Asia

with

Yoo Ki-hong
Former Pro-Democracy Activist
Uri Party Member, ROK National Assembly