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ASCK sponsored two events at the March 2009 AAS meeting in Chicago.

First event: March 27, Friday, 10:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., Panel Number 48, Long Journey Toward Truth: Findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Korea.

  • Chair: Martin Hart-Landsberg (Lewis and Clark College)
  • Presenter: Professor Kim, Dong-Choon, Standing Commissioner, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea
  • Presenter: Dr. Suh, Hee Kyung, Investigation Bureau (5th team -involving U.S. troops), Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea
  • Presenter: Charles J. Hanley, Special Correspondent, International Desk, The Associated Press
  • Discussant: Professor Jae-jung Suh, Director of Korea Studies, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University.

Second event: Saturday, March 28, 2009, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p. m., Erie Room, A reception for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea (TRCK).

The program included opening remarks by Professor Martin Hart-Landsberg (Lewis and Clark College); a brief presentation by Professor Kim Dong-Choon (Sung Kong Hoe University), standing commissioner of the (TRCK); and informal conversations with members of the TRCK. A limited number of free copies of a book documenting the work of the TRCK were distributed.

ASCK also helped organize a speaking tour by the TRC that included stops in six cities: New York, Boston, Portland, Berkeley, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.

ASCK is supporting an important effort by historians in South Korea to defend the principle of political neutrality in education.

Statement by Historians in South Korea and Abroad

We [the undersigned] demand that the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology stop the revision of [high school] history textbooks, undermining the principle of political neutrality in education.

On October 8th, twenty one academic associations related to the field of history held a press conference, criticizing the government’s plan to revise modern Korean history textbooks [used in high schools].

The following day, the Joint Committee for the Resolution of the History Textbook Issue, composed of 39 groups – including the National Association of History Teachers, National University Workers’ Union, and Asia Peace and History Education Network – also held a press conference in front of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.

They did so because, instead of safeguarding political neutrality in education and respecting historical expertise, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology has brought about a crisis in historical research and education. But the Ministry has refused to acknowledge such criticism/opposition, and continues to stick to its plans for revision.

On October 15th, the Ministry announced that it would “pursue a balanced revision of textbooks by the end of November reflecting the academic and educational perspectives in a comprehensive manner” by utilizing the report submitted by the National Institute of Korean History entitled “Review of modern Korean history textbooks and Proposed Guidelines for Narration” and the participation of the Association of Experts in History Education made up of teachers, educational professionals and professors.

The textbooks that the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology plans to revise had already been reviewed in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and [in those reviews] were not judged to be “left-leaning.” If the revisions are carried out [only] because the new President, Lee Myung-bak, proposed such changes as part of his so-called policy of “normalization of textbooks,” will future administrations also revise textbooks whenever there is a change in government? If that were to happen, political neutrality in education will be undermined, and there will be a proliferation of research on modern Korean history that caters solely to the government in power.

Moreover, the way the Ministry has pursued the revision of history textbooks does not conform to the Regulations concerning Textbooks. According to these regulations, the Ministry may order the authors or the publishers to revise the contents, and if such orders go unheeded, the Ministry may revoke its official approval or suspend publication and circulation of the textbooks within one year. But even in such cases, the regulations have no provisions for the direct revision of textbooks by the government [as the government threatens to do].

The report submitted by the National Institute of Korean History did make note of 49 different revisions to be made in the textbooks to enhance validity and fairness, avoiding bias in historical interpretation, but did not provide detailed guidelines for the 257 different expressions deemed problematic by the Ministry.

It is of grave concern that the current attempt to revise history textbooks appears to be driven by a specific political agenda to homogenize history textbooks, as demanded by the "New Right" and parts of the governing group.

First, the Ministry’s revision of history textbooks, by allowing only one historical interpretation, prevents diverse interpretations, based on accumulated historical research, from being reflected in the textbooks. This suppression of diversity leads to the repression of academic freedom in research and publication.

Second, the Ministry’s revisions will further narrow the range of historical interpretations that had been guaranteed to some extent under the textbook authorization system. This distortion of the textbook authorization system will result in the publication of authorized textbooks that are no different from the government authored textbooks that were published under the Yushin System. This will result in the infringement of history teachers’ right to teach, and students’ right to learn.

Third, the homogenization of history education will undermine students’ creative and spontaneous learning and furthermore hamper the cultivation of open-ended and pluralistic thought necessary in the age of globalization.

Because the Ministry’s attempt to revise history textbooks will inevitably lead to the erosion of academic freedom and political neutrality in education, we, the undersigned scholars of history, hereby launch a nation-wide signature campaign and make the following demands:

For an overview of the issue see: Choe Sang-Hun, "History textbook causes an uproar in South Korea," International Herald Tribune, November 17, 2008.

Letter in Support of Professor Oh Sei-Chull

The ASCK steering committee authored a letter to the Prosecutor General of South Korea on behalf of Professor Oh Sei-Chull who, along with six other people, was arrested on charges of violating the National Security Law.

Korea Peace Day 2007

On November 30, 2007, the ASCK Steering Committee sponsored (with the support of UCLA’s Center for Korean Studies) a Korea Peace Day 2007 event at UCLA, with the theme “Ending the War on Korea, Building Peace for Northeast Asia.”

The following is the ASCK statement in support of House Resolution 121 on the "comfort women" issue.

Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea (ASCK) May 3, 2007

As scholars working on East Asian and Asian American issues, we call upon members of Congress to support House Resolution 121 proposed by Congressman Mike Honda.  We believe that the government of Japan should make an official and unequivocal apology. It should take responsibility for how the Japanese Imperial Armed Force subjected thousands of girls and women of Asia, as well as those of European descent, to sexual slavery as "comfort women" during World War II.

It is beyond dispute that in the Pacific War, many Asian nations fell victim to Japan's military aggression in lives and in resources.  For example, Japan instituted a system of sexual slavery for the benefit of its military by forcing women to provide involuntary sexual services as military "comfort women. The "comfort women" issue is an extraordinarily painful chapter in East Asian history. For East Asia as a region to move beyond existing enmities and forge stronger political and economic ties, there must be a honest assessment of the past. Japan can play a critical and positive role by making an official apology for its wartime conduct on this issue.

The reckoning with the past, however, is not simply a matter of passing judgment on Japan's misdeeds. The United States, too, played a role, when U.S. soldiers visited "comfort women" stations during the occupation after the war. The United States, too, bears responsibility for the failure to fully account for and confront Japanese war crimes. The United States is not an outsider to the problems of history arising out of the wars in Asia, and America must confront its role in mishandling Japanese war-crime issues after 1945.

It is now time for Americans to take issues of historical injustice in northeast Asia seriously. The United States has a clear interest in ensuring that the peace and prosperity of a region so vital to its future is not undermined by the past. So it is appropriate that Congress is taking a role in trying to heal the wounds of history. But simply demanding Japan's apology will not be enough. America must also confront its own responsibility in ignoring Asians' suffering. By fully acknowledging what war-crimes victims went through, the United States can help bring Japan and its neighbors closer together.

The ramifications extend well beyond East Asia. Girls and women are targeted victims of torture and degradation during armed conflicts around the world, from Bosnia to Rwanda. It is critically important that governments send a clear signal that such conduct constitutes a crime against humanity. Japan's apology for past crimes will help to prevent future crimes from taking place.

As scholars, we recognize the importance of truth in any reconciliation process. Before reconciliation can truly take place in East Asia, Japan must take this first, vital step.


Letters in Support of Professor Kang Jeong-koo

The ASCK steering committee authored two letters to the president of Dongguk University in Seoul, South Korea on behalf of Professor Kang Jeong-koo who was indicted in December 2005 and convicted in May 2006 under provisions of the National Security Law for making statements alleged to be pro-North Korean. Professor Kang has been suspended from his teaching and research jobs.

 

Korea Peace Day 2006

With relations between the United States and North Korea growing steadily worse, the Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea declared December 1, 2006 to be Korea Peace Day 2006. On that day ASCK held a major conference at Stanford University which featured a panel of distinguished scholars including Bruce Cumings, John Lewis, Jae-Jung Suh, and Xiyu Yang.

 

The Future of U.S.-Korean Relations:
An ASCK Book Project (published by Routledge in 2006)

Profound asymmetries of power and perception haunt U.S. relations with both North and South Korea . Over the last four years, these power imbalances have led to increased tensions among the three countries. An uneasy, eight-year truce concerning North Korea 's nuclear ambitions ended in 2002, and the United States moved closer to a war footing. In South Korea, meanwhile, anger and resentment over an unequal military and political relationship, combined with an ongoing U.S. reevaluation of its military role on the peninsula, have put an enormous strain on a longstanding military alliance.

The shifts in U.S. policy toward the two Koreas have taken place against the backup of a radically reconfigured American foreign policy. Upon taking office in 2001, George W. Bush signaled a new direction in U.S. relations with the world. Particularly after September 11, the Bush administration has increasingly broken with a "balance of power" tradition to put greater emphasis on military force and unilateral diplomacy. Dramatic changes have taken place in East Asia as well. These include rising Japan-North Korea tensions in the wake of disclosures of the kidnapping of Japanese citizens; the growing military strength and reach of Japan and China together with China's emergence at the center of a range of diplomatic activities including the Korean nuclear issue; and movement forward in inter-Korean rapprochement.

In light of these trends, the United States faces important decisions in dealing with the Korean peninsula and, by extension, East Asia . Along one path lies increased conflict - diplomatic, economic, and even military. Along another path lies the prospect of greater cooperation and mutual benefit that arise from a greater equality in relations and multilateral diplomatic, political, and economic interaction.

In The Future of U.S. -Korean Relations, twelve prominent experts on U.S.-Korean and U.S.-Pacific relations explore the many dimensions of this critical choice. They analyze current U.S. foreign policy, how it has changed over the last decade, and, as importantly, how it should change over the next ten years. They chart critical new developments in North and South Korea . And they examine U.S.-Korean relations through such prisms as nationalism, the media, and regional relations. This book will contain essays that were published in the Winter 2004 issue of Asian Perspective and written by Charles Armstrong, Paul Chang, John Feffer, Martin Hart-Landsberg, Samuel Kim, Karin Lee, Adam Miles, Katharine Moon, Gi-Wook Shin, and Jae-Jung Suh. The book will have additional chapters by Gavan McCormack, James Seymour, and Haruki Wada.


Korea Peace Day 2005

With renewed tensions once again raising the specter of war on the Korean peninsula, the Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea declared November 10, 2005 to be Korea Peace Day.


Conference on U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Korea

On February 25, 2005, the ASCK helped organized a conference at George Washington University to assess the future of U.S. foreign policy towards the two Koreas in light of the reelection of George W. Bush to a second term as U.S. president.


Korea Peace Day 2003

At a time of heightening tensions and increasing threats of war on the Korean peninsula, ASCK organized the first Korea Peace Day to build support for the peaceful resolution of U.S.-North Korean conflicts. On Thursday, November 6, events were held on over forty college campuses in the United States and around the world educating participants about the history of U.S.-Korean relations and calling for a new U.S. policy towards Korea, North and South..  


Time to End the Korean War

On July 27, 2003, on the occassion of the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending the fighing in the Korean War, ASCK issued a statement entitled "Time to End the Korean War."