Teach Yu Gwansun and Yun Dongju... "No Anti-Japan Gaslighting" Parents Protest

Recently, a story has come to light on the 12th about a teacher who received complaints from parents for teaching about the poet Yun Dong-ju and the independence activist Yu Gwan-sun, who appear in textbooks, sparking controversy.

One teacher stated on their Twitter, "Today, I received a complaint from a parent accusing me of gaslighting anti-Japanese education targeting students," and added, "According to the vice principal, the parent intended to change classes and appeal to higher authorities but first filed a complaint with the school and even visited the school in person," the teacher claimed.

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The teacher continued, "We studied the story of Yu Gwan-sun and the poetry of Yun Dong-ju from the textbook, and to receive such complaints is surprising," expressing, "It is natural to maintain political neutrality while teaching children, but I do not understand why talking about the suffering our ancestors endured during the Japanese colonial period and discussing the territorial rights over Dokdo is considered anti-Japanese education."

The next day, a comment appeared on the post from a netizen saying, "I can understand Yun Dong-ju, but teaching children about Yu Gwan-sun's ideology crosses the line. Imagine if your child is indoctrinated with Yu Gwan-sun's education and ends up living a life like hers. What parent would like that?"

The netizen claimed, "Our country's textbooks are biased and incorrect," and added, "The name 'Sea of Japan' originates from the Yellow River and means 'sea,' so it implies Chinese territorial waters and should not be used. If you use 'Yellow Sea,' then 'East Sea' should be called 'Sea of Japan'."

They further argued, "The grandmothers who claim to be comfort women were actually part of the mental labor corps, and the grandmothers appearing on TV nowadays were paid wages, but since the Korean supervisors embezzled the money, Japan paid the wages properly," among other claims.

Recently, a teacher revealed a story about receiving complaints from parents for teaching about the poet Yun Dong-ju and the independence activist Yu Gwan-sun, who appear in the textbook, sparking a heated exchange with a netizen.
[Photo by Twitter]

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In response, the teacher said, "What is Yu Gwan-sun's ideology? Teaching the story of Yu Gwan-sun from the Korean language textbook means indoctrinating children with her ideology? This is outrageous," replying firmly.

The teacher added, "It seems many people have taken an interest in my post. I have an idea of which student's parent it might be, but since they have not revealed themselves, it is difficult to respond directly," and said, "I am considering posting a statement on the class SNS to bring this issue to public attention."

Japanese and Taegeukgi flags hung at an apartment in Sejong City on March 1st Movement Day
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Meanwhile, on March 1st in Sejong City, a resident named A raised the Rising Sun flag, causing a stir.

A, who is a church pastor, defended his act of raising the Rising Sun flag even after the controversy and delivered a sermon with the message, "Thanks to the Empire of Japan, modernization was achieved." It is reported that he also retorted to protesting neighbors by asking, "Is Yu Gwan-sun a real person?"

The People Power Party confirmed that A was a party member and expelled him last month.

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