The draft revisions of the 2025 editions of middle and high school Korean history textbooks have sparked controversy for failing to retain such key terms as “liberal democracy” and “North Korean invasion” in their descriptions of major modern events on the Korean Peninsula.
Just a day after the revisions were introduced, the Ministry of Education on Wednesday issued an apology, admitting that the drafts were not thoroughly reviewed before they were made public and caused concern.
The ministry said that the current draft revisions are only the result of the first phase efforts and the second phase research is currently under way for improvement.
Among other issues, the rough drafts replaced the term “liberal democracy” with just “democracy” in a chapter detailing the country’s democratic political development. The textbooks also do not specifically mention “North Korean invasion” in their explanations of the Korean War.
Source: KBS World Radio