HK Textbook Depicts Northern Half of Korea as Chinese Territory



A freshmen middle school history textbook in Hong Kong describing ancient Chinese history depicts the northern half of the Korean Peninsula as belonging to China, highlighting the controversy over historical distortions.

As the Korean government makes clear its firm diplomatic position concerning intentional Chinese distortions of Koguryo history that have ignited a Sino-Korean "history war," it has now been discovered how even a Hong Kong middle school history textbook has depicted Koguryo as Chinese territory. As time passes, the commotion caused by Chinese historical distortions is growing.

On page 113 of the textbook, there is an account of how Han Emperor Wu-ti deployed troops to Gochosun (an ancient Korean kingdom), Guangdong Province, and the ethnic minorities of the southwest, subduing them and establishing Chinese prefectures.



The textbook, which gives simple accounts of Chinese history along with a variety of pictures and maps, continued to claim that the northern half of the Korean Peninsula was Chinese land after it introduced one map that says the northern half of the peninsula was within the Chinese sphere of influence.

In particular, as the textbook describes China's Three Kingdoms period (during which the nation was split into the Wei, Shu and Wu dynasties) on pg. 155, the accompanying map indicates the territory where the early Koguryo kingdom should be as belonging to China's Wei Dynasty.


Summary

August 17, Korean government discovered that a controversial history textbook in Hong Kong describing ancient Chinese history depicts the northern half of the Korean Peninsula(which is called North Korea, nowadays) as belonging to China. Korean government makes clear its firm diplomatic position concerning Chinese distortions of Koguryo history. As time passes, the commotion caused by Chinese historical distortions is growing.

Aug.17,2004 Digital Chosun

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