Historians Urge Lee Administration and Political Circles to Draw a Clear Line and State Position on Pseudo-History

48 Academic Associations Issue Statement on "Hwandangogi" Remarks

The historical and archaeological communities have recently called on the government and the political establishment to take a firm stance regarding "Hwandangogi," which was mentioned by President Lee Jaemyung.

On the 17th, 48 academic associations, including the Korean History Research Association, the Korean Ancient History Association, and the Historical Society of Korea, issued a statement saying, "The Lee Jaemyung administration and both the ruling and opposition parties must recognize the dangers of 'pseudo-history' and draw a clear line."

They stated, "With President Lee mentioning 'Hwanppa' and 'Hwandangogi' during a work briefing by the Northeast Asian History Foundation, pseudo-history has emerged as a political and social issue," emphasizing, "Hwandangogi is clearly an apocryphal text (a fabricated book)."

Although the book is said to have been published in 1911 based on several texts written from the late Goryeo to the early Joseon period, mainstream historians in Korea regard it as an apocryphal work published in 1979.

On the 14th, the book "Hwandangogi," which deals with ancient Korean history, was placed in a large bookstore in downtown Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The associations argued, "Pseudo-history based on 'Hwandangogi' is as absurd as election fraud theories," adding, "Its roots are connected to the pan-Asianism of Japanese imperialism." They also asserted, "There is no academic debate between the historical community and pseudo-history. What exists are only unilateral slanders and baseless claims from pseudo-history."

Furthermore, the associations demanded, "The Lee Jaemyung administration must clearly state its position on pseudo-history and refrain from providing any support," and "The political establishment must take a firm stance regardless of political interests."