뉴스레터

From July 22 to 28 of 2017, the Northeast Asian History Foundation invited members of the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO) to participate in an international conference hosted by the Foundation. Through their visit, European history educators were able to more accurately understand Korean history and introduce education methodologies used in twenty-eight different European nations to Korean history teachers. The occasion thus served as an opportunity for European and Korean history teachers to embrace balanced views of history in their classes.

History Education's Role in the Twenty-first Century

Ten history teachers, researchers, and EUROCLIO delegates joined seven Korean history teachers and researchers to take part in various programs including an academic conference and field trips to historical or culture sites. On July 23, the participants spent the day learning about Korean history by visiting historical landmarks in downtown Seoul such as the National Museum of Korea, Gyeongbok Palace, and Samcheong-dong.

On July 24, the participants held a teaching workshop at Choongang High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul where they observed a history class and offered a teaching demonstration. The workshop's main themes were "Exhibition of European Heritages and Understanding History," "Discussing Controversial Issues," "Understanding the Divided Country Cyprus," "Role Playing, Drama, and Empathy in History Education," and "After the War: What Comes First, Peace or Justice?" The workshop turned out to be a success thanks to the active participation of students at Choongang High School.

In the afternoon, a round table session was held on the topic "Current Trends and Tasks for Korean and European History Education" where Professor Kang Sun-joo of Gyeongin National University of Education served as moderator to presentations given by Professor Lyu Seung-reul of Kangwon National University and Professor Dean Smart of the University of the West of England, which were later discussed with Research Fellow Park Joo-hyun of the Korea Institute of Curriculum & Evaluation and Professor Lee Mimi of Hongik University.

In-depth Discussions at the Academic Conference

On July 25, an international academic conference was held under the theme "Differences and Cooperation: In Search of Directions for History Education." The first of the conference's three sessions focused on "Historical Conflicts and History Education" with NAHF Research fellow Bae Sung-joon serving as moderator. Presentations were given by Professor Kang Sun-joo of Gyeongin National University of Education, Hangyeore High School teacher Chae Hyeon-jin, Bojana Dujkovic-Blagojevic from Bosnia, Nayla Khodr Hamadeh from Lebanon, Marios Epaminondas from Cyprus with Chunghyun Middle School teacher Lee Yeon-hee joining in discussions.

The second session focused on "Civic Awareness and History Education" was moderated by Chief Kim Hyun-chul of the NAHF Educational and Training Center. With Shimwon High School teacher Moon Ji-eun and Professor Baek Eun-jin of Seoul National University participating as discussants, presentations were given by Professor Kim Han-jong of the Korea National University of Education, Doctor Martin Liepach from Germany, Joanna Wojdon from Poland, and Iryna Kostyuk from Ukraine.

The final third session focused on "One History, Multiple Views" with NAHF Research fellow Kim Min-kyu serving as moderator. Seonyoo High School teacher Hwang Ji-sook and Jamsil High School teacher Park Joong-hyun participated in discussions over presentations given by Kim Tae-hoon, a teacher at the Middle School Affiliated to Seoul National University’s College of Education, Blandine Smilansky from Belgium, Luis Horrillo from Spain, and Professor Dean Smart from the United Kingdom.

The following day on July 26, the European participants went on a trip to the demilitarized zone to witness Korea as a divided nation. On July 27, the participants visited the Bukchon Asian Cultural Art Museum to attend a traditional Korean tea ceremony, which they took part in with great interest. In the afternoon, the NAHF Educational and Training Center hosted a series of lectures for high school history teachers in Korea where Joanna Wojdon talked about "Public Education and History Education Through Memories" and Blandine Smilansky talked about "History Education Based on Multiple Views of History."

Multilateral, International Connections Beyond Northeast Asia

This year's academic conference with EUROLCLIO members was held in the hopes of encouraging Northeast Asian history education in Europe to break away from views of history centered around China and Japan and shape a more balanced view of history. The event also aimed to assist its Korean participants in forming multilateral, international connections that may later serve as important assets in forming policies to respond against China and Japan's distorted views of history.