Controversy Over Ministry of National Defense Textbook 'Dokdo Dispute'... Seong Il-jong Says "Minister Cannot Oversee All Textbooks"

Contradicting Government's Position of No Dokdo Dispute
Ministry of National Defense: "I Was a Lawmaker Then... Already Stated Position at the Hearing"

Seong Il-jong, a member of the People Power Party, defended Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on the 5th regarding the controversy over Shin's past writings and the phrase "territorial dispute over Dokdo" in the Ministry of National Defense's military education materials, saying, "The minister has many responsibilities, so he cannot review every single educational material."

On the same day, Seong appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and commented on the Ministry of National Defense's textbook describing Dokdo as a territorial dispute area, saying, "How could the minister have known about every single textbook like this?" and added, "It probably started being created during the previous minister's term." Seong said, "It seems there was a problem with the authors," and explained, "It appears that it was mainly handled by military morale officers who educate on mental strength rather than experts. I think it was a technical error."

Regarding suspicions that the textbook content was partially revised after Minister Shin took office, Seong dismissed them as "excessive speculation." He said, "The creation of this textbook began during the previous minister's term," and added, "The minister has many duties, so he cannot review every single mental education textbook."

Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense was criticized for indicating a territorial dispute over Dokdo in the basic textbook for soldiers' mental strength education. This contradicted the South Korean government's position that there is no territorial dispute regarding Dokdo. On page 198 of the textbook, it states, "Territorial disputes such as Diaoyutai (Japanese name Senkaku Islands), Kuril Islands, and Dokdo are ongoing, and military clashes may occur at any time." As the controversy grew, President Yoon Suk-yeol immediately ordered corrective measures, and the Ministry of National Defense decided to recall all copies of the textbook.

Furthermore, the controversy intensified after Minister Shin's social media post from March last year was revealed late. At that time, Shin stated on social media, "Relying on hostility toward the already vanished past perfect tense of Japanese militarism, only the low-quality anti-Japan agitation 'Death Song' is being sung," and claimed, "It is true that there are historical issues and territorial disputes over Dokdo between Korea and Japan."

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik is giving a briefing on current issues at the National Defense Committee plenary session held at the National Assembly on November 23 last year. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Regarding the controversy over Minister Shin's social media post, Seong said, "Japan is currently attempting to make it a disputed area, but we have effective control," and explained, "At the confirmation hearing on September 27 last year, Minister Shin clearly stated that 'we must strongly protest and firmly reject Japan's claim over Dokdo's territorial sovereignty.'"

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense also explained on the previous day, "At that time, (Minister Shin) was a member of the National Assembly," and "After being nominated as minister, he clearly expressed a definite position on the Dokdo issue during the confirmation hearing." Minister Shin also stated in a press release on the 3rd, "The expression 'territorial dispute over Dokdo' recorded on social media during my time as a member of the National Assembly was meant to indicate that Japan is attempting to create a territorial dispute," and added, "I have never agreed with Japan's groundless claims."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.