Yoo Hong-jun: "President Lee did not support 'Hwanppa,' but asked about response measures"

Yoo Hong-jun: "'Hwanppa' is a historical perspective that satisfies national inferiority through imagination"

Yoo Hong-jun, Director of the National Museum of Korea, defended President Lee Jae-myung’s recent remarks about "Hwandangogi," which became a subject of controversy during a recent government work report. He stated, "The President’s mention of 'Hwanppa' (a term for those who believe the contents of Hwandangogi to be fact or support its historical perspective) was not to support Hwanppa."

President Lee Jae-myung (left) and Yoo Hong-jun, Director of the National Museum of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Yoo Hong-jun: "Hwandangogi is a historical perspective shaped by imagination"... Drawing a line on President Lee’s remarks

On the 16th (local time), during a lecture event at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., Yoo Hong-jun brought up President Lee’s recent remarks on Hwandangogi. He said, "The President mentioned 'Hwanppa' not to support them, but to ask how the Northeast Asian History Foundation is dealing with the troublesome Hwanppa."

Yoo Hong-jun then questioned Hwandangogi, saying, "It claims that ancient Gojoseon ruled the world. Should we really follow that?" He continued, "The historical perspective of Hwanppa is one where, during a time when history needed to be proven, people simply used their imagination to satisfy their own sense of national inferiority." He reiterated, "That is why President Lee asked, 'How is the Northeast Asian History Foundation dealing with such things?'"

Referring to the 'Hwanppa controversy' in the work report, President Lee asked, "Isn’t Hwandangogi a historical document?"

Previously, during the government work report on the 12th, President Lee asked Park Ji-hyang, Chairperson of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, whether Hwandangogi could be considered a historical document, sparking controversy in political circles. At the time, President Lee also said, "People who advocate and study Hwandangogi are disparagingly called Hwanppa," and asked, "Isn’t there ongoing debate about research into ancient history?"

Afterwards, as criticism emerged-mainly from the opposition-that President Lee might believe in Hwandangogi, which the academic community has deemed a forgery, the presidential office clarified, "President Lee’s remarks regarding Hwandangogi do not mean he agrees with these claims."