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As a countermeasure against Japan's distortion of history, China opened a memorial hall at Harbin Station honoring Ahn Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist. The opening ceremony took place in January 2014 as a quiet, local event. On April 29, on the 100th day since the opening, however, the central government of China came forward to extensively publicize this memorial hall to foreign correspondents. The Japanese government and reporters protested, saying that Ahn Jung-geun was a criminal (to Japan) and the Chinese government's such move (to honor him) would not contribute toward friendly relations between the two countries. But the memorial hall authority responded by saying that the task carried out by Ahn Jung-geun was aimed at establishing 'peace in the East.' This response is in line with China's attitude that is becoming increasingly belligerent toward Japan recently over historical issues.

The next day, on April 30, the Northeast Asian History Foundation's Northeast Asia/Dokdo Education Center hosted an expert workshop on "The Assessment of Ahn Jung-geun/Ito Hirobumi (伊藤博文) and History Education in the Three Northeast Asian Countries." The discussion at this workshop was focused on exploring how to teach students correctly about the task carried out by Ahn Jung-geun and a need for joint historical research among the three Northeast Asian countries.

In his keynote speech, Professor Emeritus at Korea University Cho Kwang said that "Ahn Jung-geun's target was 'colonial crime' represented by Ito Hirobumi," and stressed that the purpose of his task was "to prevent and eradicate colonial crime" and the assassination of Ito Hirobumi by Ahn Jung-geun, who viewed any act intended to realize colonialism as a crime, was "self-defense against colonial crime."

Pay Attention the 'Theory of Oriental Peace' by Ahn Jung-geun

Professor Sohn Yeom-hong (Konkuk Univ.), speaking on "The Assessment of Ahn Jung-geun and Ito Hirobumi and History Education in China," noted that it was easy for the Chinese learning Korean history to feel sympathy when the subject was modern rather than pre-modern history, and that the task carried out by Ahn Jung-geun could be an especially good topic for history education and joint research. Professor Lee Shin-chul (Sungkyunkwan Univ.), speaking on 'The Descriptions and Perceptions of Ahn Jung-geun in Japanese History Textbooks", said that even though the old perception that Ahn Jung-geun's assassination of Ito Hirobumi was the cause of Japan's forced annexation of Korea was no longer found in most Japanese textbooks, it was a shame that they were still not paying attention to Ahn Jung-geun's Theory of Oriental Peace. There are voices arguing that the assessment of the Theory of Oriental Peace should be actively reflected (into the textbooks) and this, he said, will help stop the Abe administration's attempt to downgrade Ahn Jung-geun as a terrorist. In the discussion, NAHF Research Fellow Nam Sang-Gu pointed out that the Japanese textbooks did not describe Ahn Jung-geun as a terrorist, and the opinions of the Japanese Prime Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary were inconsistent with what was described in the Japanese textbooks.

Dr. Yoon Gyeong-seob (Sungkyunkwan Univ.), speaking on "Ahn Jung-geun in North Korean History Textbooks," noted that the positive descriptions of Ahn Jung-geun had become more prominent in the 2000s than before, and this seemed to be because the North and South Korean historical communities had been motivated by the arguments that the treaties signed to make Korea a Japanese colony were illegal. The discussant Shin Un-yong (Research Fellow at Ahn Jung-geun Institute) pointed out that the Korean term that was translated as 'forced annexation' was inappropriate because, even though 'forced' was added later, it still carried the meaning of 'annexation' originally intended by Japan to mean that 'Joseon voluntarily joined Japan.'

Research Fellow Kim Hyung-mok (Independence Hall of Korea), speaking on "History Education in Korea and Ahn Jung-geun vs. Ito Hirobumi," stressed that since the closed and dogmatic nationalistic education currently carried out in the three Northeast Asian countries was causing conflict and confrontation, it was necessary to pursue open history education by highlighting Ahn Jung-geun's Theory of Oriental Peace.

Foster Talents with Insight into Northeast Asian History

Speaking on 'Joint History Research and History Education in the Three Northeast Asian Countries Based on the Assessment of Ahn Jung-geun and Ito Hirobumi.' I explained that at the time of Ahn Jung-geun's assassination of Ito Hirobumi, there was a movement in Japan, sympathetic to the cause of peace in the East and against Japan's wars of aggression, and insisted that this tradition should be revived and there should be alliance with Japan and China. I also argued that of the three Northeast Asian countries, Korea was the one capable of initiating joint East Asian history research and education, and that peace in the East, the goal of the task carried out by Ahn Jung-geun, should be achieved through joint history education by the three Northeast Asian countries.

As the discussant, Director Yoo Dae-kyun (Ministry of Education Northeast Asian History Task Force) said that when President Park Geun-hye of Korea proposed to China and Japan to make a common Northeast Asian history textbook, China said yes in principle whereas Japan's response was no by the Chief Cabinet Secretary and then yes by the Minister of Education, but there was no progress being made. He explained that although the third Korea-Japan Joint History Research had been already proposed by Korea and agreed to by Japan, moving it forward was not easy. He also explained that it was necessary to foster talents with holistic insight into the history of Northeast Asia through East Asian history education. To this end, he stressed, the Theory of Oriental Peace by Ahn Jung-geun should be used as the key idea, and it should be expanded and studied in depth.

In the general discussion presided over by Professor Han Shi-joon (Dankook Univ.), it was argued that in response to Japan attacking Ahn Jung-geun as a terrorist, we should come up with a logic that was better than the logic that "Ahn Jung-geun is a patriot." Professor Sohn Yeom-hong suggested that it should be made sure that Chinese textbooks should write about Ahn Jung-geun, and that special lectures on Ahn Jung-geun should be arranged to be given in sister cities and sister middle and high schools in China, and ideas to use the Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall as an education base camp should be explored. He also suggested that while having a shared perception of history among the three Northeast Asian countries wouldn't be easy, a long-term plan to make a common history textbook presenting diversity rather than a uniform history should be established.