Forty-eight domestic history and archaeology groups, including the Korean Ancient History Association and the Korean Archaeological Society, noted in connection with President Lee Jae-myung's recent mention of "Hwandangogi (桓檀古記)" that "the political sphere should draw a clear line against 'pseudo-history' and take a firm stance."
The groups said in a statement on the 17th, "Pseudo-history based on Hwandangogi, which is an obvious forgery, is as absurd a claim as election fraud theories and is in line with New Right historiography, which distorts Korea's modern and contemporary history," adding, "The roots of pseudo-history are connected to the Japanese empire's Pan-Asianism (Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere)."
They went on, "The established view in the historical community is that (Hwandangogi) is a forged text published by Lee Yu-rip in 1979," and said, "A forged text is, literally, just a fake historical book and has no value as a historical source."
The groups also said, "There is no academic debate between the historical community and pseudo-history," adding, "There are only unilateral slanders and absurd claims by pseudo-history against the historical community, and this cannot be called an academic debate or a difference in perspective."
They continued, "The presidential office needs to clarify its position on the president's ambiguous expressions related to 'Hwan-ppa' or Hwandangogi."
The groups demanded: ▲ The Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling and opposition parties should face up to the dangers of pseudo-history ▲ The Lee Jae-myung administration should state a clear position on pseudo-history and provide no support of any kind ▲ The Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling and opposition parties should respect experts' opinions in formulating and implementing history policy.
On the 12th, during an Education Ministry briefing, President Lee asked Park Ji-hyang, chair of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, "There is a 'Hwan-ppa' controversy regarding history education, isn't there?" and inquired about the dispute over the authenticity of Hwandangogi. Park answered, "I'm not sure."
Lee then said, "People disparagingly call those who study Hwandangogi 'Hwan-ppa,'" and pointed out, "Does the Northeast Asian History Foundation not research ancient history?" Park said, "It seems to be the talk of non-mainstream historians, but the theories and claims of professional researchers are far more persuasive, so we have no choice but to accept the views of professional researchers."
As the controversy continued, the presidential office explained that Lee did not agree with Hwandangogi claims or order research or review, but meant that an institution that studies history should have a clear position.
Hwandangogi is a book published in 1979 by Lee Yu-rip, a religious figure and pseudo-historian. It contains the claim that the ancient Korean people's territory spanned the entirety of the Eurasian continent. Lee Yu-rip asserted that Hwandangogi was compiled in 1911 by a person named Gye Yeon-su, who gathered history from before Dangun to the Goryeo era, but the historical community regards it as a forged text, noting that no published edition of Hwandangogi has been verified and that many modern and contemporary terms inconsistent with the period have been found.