Jeonnam Public-Private Mountain School Education Cooperation Committee "Condemns History-Distorting Textbooks"

Publisher's Use of 'Yeosun Incident' Deemed Inappropriate... Calls for Removal

The Jeonnam Public-Private Mountain Education Cooperation Committee expressed deep regret on the 27th over distorted expressions related to the Yeosu-Suncheon October 19 Incident (hereinafter Yeosun Incident) by some publishers in the 2022 revised history textbooks and urged their immediate deletion.

The Education Cooperation Committee stated, “The Yeosun Incident is defined as an event in which many civilians were sacrificed, according to the ‘Special Act on the Investigation of the Yeosu-Suncheon October 19 Incident and the Restoration of the Honor of the Victims,’ which passed the National Assembly in 2021 through bipartisan agreement.”

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education building. [Photo by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education]

It added, “Recently, some history textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education have described those involved in the Yeosun Incident as ‘rebels’ or ‘insurgents,’ which seriously distorts historical facts,” and “this misleads students with incorrect historical perceptions and damages the honor of the victims and bereaved families of the Yeosun Incident.”

Furthermore, it emphasized, “We strongly urge the Ministry of Education to take immediate administrative action on the textbooks in question and for the publishers to make corrections,” and “we plan to continuously monitor so that history textbooks accurately describe the Yeosun Incident in accordance with the spirit of the Yeosun Incident Special Act.”

It also requested, “Educational institutions such as the provincial education office should use all possible means to prevent history textbooks containing expressions contrary to the purpose of the Yeosun Incident Special Act from being adopted in frontline schools.”

Meanwhile, the Jeonnam Public-Private Mountain Education Cooperation Committee is a cooperative governance body composed of public institutions, parents, universities, and companies to advise on major educational policy directions in Jeonnam. It has been operating since July 2023, centered on the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education and 22 education support offices.