Futile textbook row
역사교과서국정화논란
The Ministry of Education has unveiled the draft versions of state-authored history textbooks one year after it announced plans to require schools to use only state-issued books.교육부가역사교과서국정화방침발표한지 1년 만에새국정교과서검토본을공개했다.
In a press conference Monday, Education Minister Lee Jun-sik said the new textbooks will help students have a balanced view of the state, noting that they are based on historical facts and constitutional values.
이준식교육부장관은월요일기자회견에서새교과서가역사적사실과헌법적가치에기반하고있다며학생들이균형있는국가관을갖는데도움을줄것이라고밝혔다.
But the drafts drew criticism for highlighting the achievements of former dictator Park Chung-hee, the father of the incumbent President Park Geun-hye, while neglecting descriptions of his brutal autocracy and pro-Japanese record.하지만새교과서는현박근혜대통령의아버지인독재자박정희의업적만을부각시키면서독재와친일전력은축소해서술했다는비판을받았다.
The list of writers for the new textbooks also included mostly right-wing scholars and teachers, prompting criticism that they are dedicated to the senior Park, prepared by his daughter.집필진도 우파 학자및 교사 일색으로 딸이 준비한 아버지를 위한 교과서라는 비판을낳았다. The new state-authored history textbooks are meaningful, given that privately published textbooks have been criticized for being biased to the left.현행검정교과서들이좌편향이라는비판을받고있는점을감안하면새국정역사교과서의의미는작지않다.
Some of the current books define the Republic of Korea as having a failed history led by pro-Japanese collaborators and those who helped prolong dictatorships.이들교과서중일부는한국을친일파및독재세력이 이끌어온실패의역사로규정하고 있다. The books are also accused of being too uncritical of North Korea, with one
textbook using the term “dictatorial” only twice when writing about the North, but 28 times about South Korea.
아울러 북한에 지나치게 무비판적이라는 비난도받고 있는데,이중한 교과서는 북한에대해 `독재’라는 용어를두번사용하면서 남한에 대해서는 28번이나 `독재’로 표현하는경우도있다. The new textbooks are not without problems.새역사교과서에문제가없는것은아니다.
Among other things, they describe South Korea as being founded on Aug. 15 1948, three years after its liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. This unnerved liberal scholars who believe that the country was established in Shanghai in 1919 as a provisional government.
무엇보다도대한민국이일제식민지배에서벗어난3년후인 1948년 8월 15일 수립된것으로기술돼 있는데, 이는 1919년 상해임시정부의법통을믿는진보적학자들의주장과는궤를달리하는것이다. The education ministry said it will adhere to its earlier plan to adopt the state-issued textbooks after collecting feedback from the public.교육부는의견수렴을통해국정교과서를 채택하겠다는당초의계획을포기하지않을것이라고밝혔다. But it’s doubtful if such a plan is feasible, considering the people’s strong antipathy toward President Park’s signature policies amid the unprecedented corruption and influence-peddling scandal.그러나최순실사태가 일파만파로 번져가고있는가운데박대통령의중요정책에대한국민들의엄청난반감을볼때이러한계획이가능할지는의문이다. It was anachronistic from the outset for the government to try to monopolize an interpretation of history by “nationalizing” textbooks.국정교과서를만들어역사 해석을‘독점’하려는 정부의발상자체가애초부터시대착오적이었다. So the education ministry needs to abolish the new textbooks sooner rather than later.따라서교육부는새교과서를가능한빨리폐기해야한다. To resolve the controversy over ideological biases in textbooks, it’s necessary to strengthen the verification procedure of privately published books.교과서의이념적편향성논란을해소하기위해서는검정교과서의검증절차도강화해야 한다. 11월30일 (수) The Korea Times 사설