Should the government have a monopoly on writing history textbooks? The answer has been a resounding no from historians, history teachers and now even the very experts who have been charged with establishing an outline for a government-written history textbook have spoken out against the plan, issuing a statement against such textbooks during a public hearing convened to discuss the standard for government-authored history textbooks.

In fact, the debate over whether a government-led history textbook should replace the textbooks published by private publishing houses and then approved by the government should not even be taking place. For Korea, which has successfully achieved democratization and enjoys a plurality of perspectives and expression, the idea of returning to a single history textbook written by government-selected authors seems like a throwback to the dark days of authoritarian rule.

Claiming that current history textbooks harbor leftist-leaning perspectives, conservative voices have been raising concerns about instilling an incorrect view of national history and national identity among middle and high school students.

If such claims are correct, then the government is not doing a proper job of reviewing history textbooks for approval. Had the government done its job properly, factual inaccuracies should not have occurred. If textbooks were found to be too left-leaning, the publishers could have been asked to present a more balanced perspective.

In fact, more remedies should be explored before the possibility of government-led history textbooks are even discussed. For example, since modern history appears to be the most contentious, an option could be to cover this period less heavily. Ideological preferences, whether left or right, should not color how and what history is taught at schools.

The history of government-authored history textbooks goes back to 1974 when then President Park Chung-hee made the switch from government-approved history textbooks to government-authored ones. It was only in 2011 that classes returned to using government-approved history textbooks, eight of which became available.

A danger of government-authored history textbooks is that they are liable to change with each change in government. A conservative government may wish to “rewrite” history textbooks published during a progressive government and vice versa. In fact, the temptation to use history textbooks to glorify its own rule may be too great to resist.

Leading the charge for history textbook change are the ruling Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung and Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea, a former Saenuri Party chairman. Curiously, even the Education Ministry is not too enthusiastic about the proposed government history textbooks.

The history textbook issue has become a politically and ideologically charged one. Politicians should stay clear of the debate and allow historians and educators to come up with a viable solution.