뉴스레터

The Northeast Asia/Dokdo Education & Training Center hosted an academic conference on "Exploring Directions for East Asian History/Territory Education and Training" on November 4, 2014. The purpose of this conference, in connection with the Ministry of Education and the National Assembly of Korea's announcement of the initiative to 'foster people talented in history' for the protection of historical sovereignty, was to discuss how the NAHF should conduct education on the issues of Northeast Asian history and territory.

The conference consisted of presentations and discussions divided into three parts: Part 1 on the directions and contents of East Asian history education; Part 2 on suggestions for Korea-China-Japan joint history education and territory education; and Part 3 on the NAHF's plans for fostering talents.

In Part 1, Professor Kim Jung-in at Chuncheon National University of Education gave a presentation on 'Development Plans for the Northeast Asian History Foundation's Education & Training Center through East Asian History Education.' He said that the Education & Training Center should take on the role of promoting the NAHF by actively developing programs in addition to school teacher training, and that to do education and training well was to promote the NAHF. Specifically, he said that training for school teachers would need: 1) customized training for East Asian history teachers; 2) multi-dimensional lectures on the history of exchange that utilize historic relics and sites, and field trips; and 3) the development of training programs that combine peace education with Korean history and world history textbooks and makes them easy to understand. He also said that the NAHF's education was targeted at not only school teachers but a wide range of people including civil servants and office workers, and stressed the need for territorial issues education programs for civil servants. He went on to propose the invitation of East Asians as scholars or teachers and the development of 'mobile education programs' for Korean, Chinese, and Japanese youths.

Park Joong-hyun, a teacher at Jamil High School, gave a presentation on 'The Present of East Asian History as a Subject and Efforts to Help It Take Root.' In the four years until the subject of East Asian History took root in school, he said, the NAHF's various training and seminar offerings had helped school teachers overcome fear. The subject of East Asian History is included in the training program for Class 1 certified teachers by each of the local Offices of Education, and there were frequent training programs, which, he said, boosted the motivation of teachers. For the development of East Asian History, he stressed, professional researchers need to conduct in-depth studies on 'the East Asian perspective,' and there need to be many occasions for discussion and exchange among school teachers and professional researchers.

Cooperation with Neighboring Countries for Joint History Education

In Part 2, Professor Lee Dong-ryul at Dongduk Women's University gave a presentation on 'The Characteristics of the Chinese Frontiers and the Development of Frontier Studies.' According to him, China's Northeast policy is a twin policy of the Northeast Project and the Northeast Development Strategy, and the Northeast region is a sensitive region in China because it faces the combined issues of national integration and economy. Therefore, he noted, it is necessary to perceive the Northeast region as a space for cooperation instead of a space of confrontation with us over historical issues. Currently, China is bordered with fourteen countries, and the territorial disputes with Russia, Vietnam, and Japan are more of competition for power, and, therefore, he argued, should not be considered as territorial issues. This also applies to us, he pointed out, regarding the Gando/Ieodo issues with China. Instead of taking a direct approach to the issues as territorial ones, it is necessary to take note of the impact that they will have on the reunification of the Korean Peninsula and the pattern of territorial disputes in East Asia.

Next, Research Professor Shin Joo-baek at Yonsei University gave a presentation on 'Suggestions on Korea-China-Japan Joint History Education.' He pointed out the importance of setting up the goal of establishing a new image of history with the approaches of the history of relations and comparative history. For joint history education to take root and spread in our society, he said, nothing is more necessary than setting the direction and foundation for cooperation. He suggested that the Northeast Asian History Foundation that would take on this role should not only function as the 'secretariat' for joint history education but serve as an active 'planner' making plans and providing support for historical dialogue.

In Part 3, Lee Chan-hee, a former research commissioner at Korean Educational Development Institute, gave a presentation on 'Training Institute Development Plans in View of the Operations of the Master's/Doctoral Programs between the Northeast Asian History Foundation and Universities as Part of Graduate School-Research Institute Cooperation.' In relation to talent development plans, he addressed the need for graduate school-research institute cooperation programs, and gave examples of such programs in operation. While the cooperation program contributes to the development of both the research institute and the graduate school, he said, it has the challenge of having other merits that will set it apart from the Master's/Doctoral programs of general graduate schools. As an idea to run graduate school-research institute cooperative research Master's/Doctoral programs designed to foster experts in Northeast Asian history education, he proposed the conclusion of an MOU with the graduate program at the Department of Curriculum in the college of education at a national or private university.

Needs a Control Tower to Connect Research with Education within the NAHF

The general discussion was presided over by Director of the Northeast Asia/Dokdo Education & Training Center Lim Sang-seon, and participated by: Professor Emeritus Kim Taek-min at Korea University; Head of the Northeast Asian History Task Force under the Ministry of Education Yoo Dae-gyun; NAHF Research Fellows Seo Hyun-ju, Chang Se-yun, Oh ByungSoo, and Kim Young-Soo, among others. Professor Kim Taek-min made several suggestions on the development of the NAHF's education programs. First, while the NAHF has accumulated considerable research results, and also produced remarkable results in Korea, the NAHF should create more opportunities for international promotion and joint research and discussion. Secondly, the NAHF should be the central research institute leading the national survival strategy regarding territorial and historical issues. Thirdly, the NAHF should foster the next generation of talents with a long-term strategy that can continue to be improved. Finally, the NAHF should establish 'an image of East Asian history' with focus on the history of organic and comprehensive relations rather than simple Korea-China relations or Korea-Japan relations.

Conducting research and education on history and territory to cope with and overcome China's massive frontier studies and Japan's distorted claims on Dokdo recently is an important duty that the Northeast Asian History Foundation should take the initiative in carrying out. The NAHF should expand its education projects to foster experts who will cope with historical and territorial issues, and the NAHF's Education & Training Center should lay more weight on its educational rather than training functions.