https://www.change.org/squidgame_korea

Is it okay to peep into something fun?

‘Squid Game’, the Korean Netflix Original drama, topped in all 83 countries that provide Netflix. But in China, where Netflix is not provided, ‘Squid Game’ is being illegally distributed on a large scale.

China has been the largest illegal distributor of Korean contents over the past five years. However, the Chinese government is not taking any measures to prevent the damage suffered by copyright holders due to Chinese illegal distribution of Korean contents.

According to Article 15.28 of Korea-China FTA, both sides shall take effective measures to curtail repetitive infringement of copyright on the Internet.

Article 15.28: Measures against Repetitive Copyright Infringements on the Internet

• Each Party shall take effective measures to curtail repetitive infringement of copyright and related rights on the Internet or other digital network.

We demand the Chinese government the following:

1. National Copyright Administration of the People’s Republic of China (NCAC) should find out all Chinese web sites that illegally distributed contents, and issue an order to stop acts of infringement.
2. Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) should investigate personnel who illegally distributed contents, and punish those who violated copyright law.

https://chng.it/FJt5zSMhhT

Correct the errors and distortions on guidebooks for Seoul!

Which city comes to mind when you think of ‘Republic of Korea’?

It will probably be the capital city ‘Seoul’.

As of January 2021, the number of Hallyu(Korean Wave) fans around the world has exceeded 100 million for the first time ever.

Hallyu fans around the world naturally go beyond K-pop, K-movie, K-drama, and are now interested in many things related to Korea, including the lives, sentiment, and lifestyles of Koreans.

Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, is the center of the spread of Hallyu culture.

By the way, could you believe it if a guidebook for people around the world who want to learn more about Seoul and travel Seoul is degrading and distorting Seoul, and delivering wrong information about Seoul?

Following the errors about Korea described in The rough Guide to Korea, Lonely Planet Korea, and Insight Guides South Korea that VANK discovered in January, errors in Seoul guidebooks published by world-renowned guidebook publishers are also becoming a big problem.

(relevant petition 1 : https://chng.it/FJt5zSMhhT )

(relevant petition 2 : https://chng.it/RXhmrzV5yW )

The Rough Guide to Seoul(3rd edition, 2018), Lonely Planet Seoul(9th edition, 2019), DK Eyewitness Travel Top10 Seoul(4th edition, 2019) are the most recent Seoul guidebooks published by Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, and DK respectively.

Rough Guides is a British publisher established in 1982 and has been publishing guidebooks of more than 200 places around the world, and this book is a famous travel guide for Europeans.

Lonely Planet has history that reaches up to fifty years, and is a famous tourist publishing company that has a reputation as a ‘Bible of travel publishing’. The company has been publishing Lonely Planet Seoul guidebook for more about 30 years since 1993.

DK(Dorling Kindersley), founded in 1974, is a well-known publishing company that has sold over 50 million copies of the DK Eyewitness series alone. In addition, from 2013 to the present, the company has been publishing Seoul guidebooks every two years.

After researching and analyzing the contents of Seoul guidebooks, more than 81, 19, and 30 errors and distortions about Seoul in each book has been revealed.

At this very moment, these books are being sold on various bookstores worldwide, each publishing company’s web site and through online shopping malls.

Typical errors are as follows.

(1) The Rough Guide to Seoul 3rd edition, 2018

▶ Introducing Seoul’s transportation system; “… cash is no longer accepted on most buses, …”

→ Still in 2021, you can pay by cash and hop on Seoul’s all buses.

▶ Introducing Korean beer (companies) such as Hite, Cass, OB; “None of them tasted very nice, largely due to the dubious preservatives used to lengthen the drinks’ lifespan – something in the same chemical family as formaldehyde.”

→ It is distorting Korean beers with completely groundless claim.

▶ Introducing ‘Gangnam Style’; “Psy had already been a big name here since his 2002 hit Champion, which caused a bit of a stir with expats thanks to what sounded like repeated mentions of the N-word (the actual lyrics meant something completely different, though the accident may have been intentional).”

→ The lyric mentioned on the description is “네가”, which literally means “you are” in Korean. Describing the song’s lyric as “intentionally disparaging black people” is an insulting expression which is very rude and exposing one’s ignorance.

▶ Introducing the music of seoul; “Seoul isn’t exactly renowned for the quality of its music. From pre-teen girls to bad-boy bike nuts, most of the country listens to sugary K-pop, generic hip-hop and little else.”

→ It is demeaning Seoul, the birthplace and center of K-pop.

▶ Introducing Daeseongdong village; “Technically residents have to spend 240 days of the year at home, but most commute here from their condos in Seoul to “punch in”, and get hired hands to do the dirty work;”

→ If the residents of Daeseongdong village do not spend 240 days in the village an year, they lose their residential right. The above statement is distorted and is an outrageous lie.

▶ Introducing modern and contemporary history of Korea; “Modern Korean museums and history books extol the achievements of what was, in reality, a largely toothless group. In doing this they gloss over the fundamental reason for Korea’s independence: the American A-bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, …”

→ In this way, Korean freedom fighters and the Provisional government of Korea are degraded.

▶ Introducing Romanization of Korean alphabets; “The letter “a” is usually written as an “e” or “ae” in an unsuccessful effort to Americanize the pronunciation – “hat”, for example, will be pronounced “het” by the majority of the population, while to kowtow to American norms gimbap is often written “kimbob”.

→ It is demeaning the Korean alphabet ‘Hangul’, which is regarded as the “most scientific notational system, and its users, as if they kowtow to American norms.

(2) Lonely Planet Seoul 9th edition, 2019

▶ Introducing the language of Koreans; “Korean, English”

→ The official language of Korea is Korean only.

▶ Introducing Korean traditional holiday ‘Chuseok’; “Chuseok … perform sebae(a ritual bow)”

→ On Chuseok, Koreans do not perform sebae. Koreans perform sebae on Seollal(Lunar New Year’s day).

▶ Introducing Korean history; “For four centuries Baekje rules the peninsula until falling to the Goguryeo kingdom.”

→ Baekje ruled some parts of peninsula and did not fall to the Goguryeo kingdom. Baekje collapsed in AD 660 by allied forces of Silla and Tang.

(3) DK Eyewitness Travel Top10 Seoul 4th edition, 2019

▶ Introducing Gyeongbokgung; The halls and pavilions in the “Palace of Shining Happiness”, … are superb examples of Buddhist decoration.”

→ Gyeongbokgung is an example of Confucianist decoration because Joseon took Confucianism as its national ideology and led the entire society based on Confucianism. Very few parts of the palace building are decorated in Buddhist ways.

▶ Describing Blue House raid of 1968; “In 1968, it was the scene of an assassination attempt on the life of then-president Park Chung-hee. … Almost 100 were killed as the team tried, in vain, to head back to the DMZ.”

→ 29 of the 31 North Korean intruders were kileed. On South Korean side, 25 men of armed forces and 7 civilians lost their lives.

▶ Introducing Kimchi; “The outside world might think of kimchi as Korea’s national dish, although in reality it is only a side dish.”

→ Kimchi is not just a side dish. There are about 200 kinds of kimchi and kimchi is used in making many Korean dishes.

▶ Introducing Suwon Hwaseong Fortress; “This stunning fortress was built in the 1790s on the orders of King Yeongjo, …”

→ Hwaseong was built by the orders of King Jeongjo, the grandson of Yeongjo.

▶ Introducing the War Memorial of Korea; “Major wars have punctuated Korean history – the civil war in the early 1950s created North Korea and South Korea, two nations that are still in a state of conflict to this day.”

→ Korean War was an international all-out war. In the Korean War, 16 countries fought as UN forces only for the South Korean side. Also, the two countries (South Korea and North Korea) were not created because of the Korean War. Republic of Korea(South Korea) 1948.08.15. – present; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea(North Korea) 1948.09.09. – present

▶ Introducing Seoul’s transportation system; “In addition, a T-Money transport card is the only way to travel on city buses.”

→ Still in 2021, you can pay by cash and hop on Seoul’s all buses.

 

The typical errors and distortions above are chosen from each book that contains 81, 19, and 30 or more errors and distortions respectively. In addition to this, various errors and distortions are described in the guidebooks.

We have described correction details for each error with arrows(→). The above examples of errors are too obvious so that could be found very easily in the standpoint of Koreans. However, if somebody who does not know much about Seoul were to buy and read these books, there would be high probability that the foreigner would believe the errors and distorted contents in the guidebooks just as they are, and after that, the foreigners will visit Seoul with their heads filled up with misconception and prejudice. This might happen because these publishers are deemed to have public credibility.

Although The Rough Guide to Seoul is only 200 pages, more than 80 errors, distortions, and derogatory expressions are described, and the historic distortion expressions on The Rough Guide to Korea introduced above are substantially the same.

Lonely Planet Seoul was also largely identical to Lonely Planet Korea’s history and culture related errors

Interestingly, we confirmed that the author of The Rough Guide to Seoul and the lead author of DK Eyewitness Travel Top10 Seoul are the same person, and accordingly, errors, distortions, and derogatory expressions about Korea and Seoul appear to be described a lot in both books.

If it is a guidebook about Seoul, publishers should at least receive a review of the authenticity of the contents to be described in the guidebooks by a Korean or a Korea(n) expert, and should carefully check the contents and provide accurate information.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of tourists visiting Seoul has decreased more than ever, but on the contrary, the number of foreigners who are interested in such as Korean culture, people and history through the internet has increased than ever before. It is important to rectify these errors in guidebooks because these Seoul guidebooks are to be obtained and viewed by people from all over the world who are going to visit Seoul after this epidemic is over.

If the guidebooks about Seoul do not correct these errors, with the Korean Wave fever around the world, such as K-pop and K-drama, 100 million Korean Wave fans around the world will get false information about Korea and Seoul. And through this the increased interest in Korea and Seoul may be a bad chance to develop a distorted perception about Korea and Seoul.

Moreover, Lonely Planet is about to publish the 12th edition of Lonely Planet Korea and the 10th edition of Lonely Planet Seoul in December 2021. These errors must be corrected prior to publication of the revised editions.

Therefore, we request Rough Guides, the publisher of the 3rd edition of The Rough Guide to Seoul; Lonely Planet, the publisher of the 9th edition of Lonely Planet Seoul; and DK, the publisher of the 4th edition of DK Eyewitness Travel Top10 Seoul to correct errors and distortions about Seoul in the books.

First, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, and DK should apologize for the errors and distortions on each books and promise to correct them.

First, after consulting experts on errors and distortions of each book, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, and DK should determine whether the facts on the books are true or not, and then describe the revisions in the upcoming edition of each book.

https://chng.it/y6bnzTCTYM

YouTube should protect copyright of K-pops!

Does a Chinese hold copyright on IU’s songs?

It’s not just IU’s songs. The music copyright holders of YouTube videos that include songs of famous K-pop singers such as god, Toy, Younha, Brown Eyes are marked as Chinese.

This is a problem with YouTube’s slack copyright management system.

Under the copyright law, YouTube, which is an online service provider, is obliged to take certain measures to prevent copyright infringement on its site.

However, even though YouTube has been receiving reports by users of the slack system that the “Content ID” has been issued not to the actual copyright holder, but to unrelated Chinese, YouTube is not explaining how the Chinese infringed copyrights or how to prevent recurrent violations in the future.

YouTube says that copyright holders can automatically protect their copyrighted works by setting their Content ID.

Regarding qualification for Content ID, YouTube Help describes that copyright owners have to give evidence of the copyrighted content for which they control exclusive rights.

However, the Content ID of K-pop sound source has been issued to Chinese people who had absolutely nothing to do with copyright holders.

And YouTube is silent about how the Content ID was issued to the wrong Chinese people, not to the copyright holder.

We, who LOVE K-pop and regard copyright protection important, request Youtube the following:

First, YouTube should explain why the Content ID was granted to Chinese people unrelated to the copyright holder, which could have caused copyright infringement.

Second, YouTube should conduct its own investigation and announce the damage caused by the current K-pop Content ID being granted to Chinese people.

Third, YouTube should disclose future recurrence prevention measures and take technical security measures.

https://chng.it/SMvRhr7c6F

Designate “Getbol”, “Korean tidal flats”, as UNESCO World Heritage and protect them!

The West Sea(Yellow Sea) and South Sea of the Republic of Korea consists of more than 3,000 beautiful islands. And the “Getbol” or “Korean tidal flats” that encircle these beautiful islands stretch out broadly on the coast.

Korea’s Getbol are habitats for animals and plants and resting places for migratory birds.

Here lives a total of 2,150 animals and plants, with 47 indigenous species and 5 endangered marine invertebrate species.

This place is also one of the nine flyway sites. Korea’s Getbol, where 118 species and 300,200 migratory birds rest, is a key stopover for migratory birds in East Asian – Australasian Flyway.

Getbol is also of precious value to humans and the Earth.

Getbol itself is a natural breakwater that prevents typhoons and floods, and hundreds of millions of plankton live in Getbol of 1 gram, which produces a lot of oxygen and has the ability to purify pollutants.

Nevertheless, Getbol are disappearing due to global warming and human development.

Due to global warming, the temperature of the seawater rises, the sea level rises, and the Getbol are disappearing. By 2100, the average sea level rises by up to 73m, and all Getbol are on the verge of disappearing.

According to a research by the National Institute of Environmental Research and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, Getbol which reached 3,200㎢ in 1987, decreased to 2,500㎢ in 2008 and continuously decreased to 2,482㎢ in 2018.

In order for the present and future generations to conserve Getbol transcend national boundaries, we ask the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to designate Getbol, Korean tidal flats, as World Natural Heritage.

World Heritage is a heritage of Outstanding Universal Value for all mankind, designated by the World Heritage Committee, and refers to a heritage listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

On the Article 49 of Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention defines Outstanding Universal Value as “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity”.

Korea’s Getbol have natural importance that transcend national boundaries and must be protected and preserved by all humans of present and future generations.

Sign the petition and cheer for Korea’s Getbol to be protected as World Heritage!

https://chng.it/SMvRhr7c6F

Designate “Getbol”, “Korean tidal flats”, as UNESCO World Heritage and protect them!

The West Sea(Yellow Sea) and South Sea of the Republic of Korea consists of more than 3,000 beautiful islands. And the “Getbol” or “Korean tidal flats” that encircle these beautiful islands stretch out broadly on the coast.

Korea’s Getbol are habitats for animals and plants and resting places for migratory birds.

Here lives a total of 2,150 animals and plants, with 47 indigenous species and 5 endangered marine invertebrate species.

This place is also one of the nine flyway sites. Korea’s Getbol, where 118 species and 300,200 migratory birds rest, is a key stopover for migratory birds in East Asian – Australasian Flyway.

Getbol is also of precious value to humans and the Earth.

Getbol itself is a natural breakwater that prevents typhoons and floods, and hundreds of millions of plankton live in Getbol of 1 gram, which produces a lot of oxygen and has the ability to purify pollutants.

Nevertheless, Getbol are disappearing due to global warming and human development.

Due to global warming, the temperature of the seawater rises, the sea level rises, and the Getbol are disappearing. By 2100, the average sea level rises by up to 73m, and all Getbol are on the verge of disappearing.

According to a research by the National Institute of Environmental Research and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, Getbol which reached 3,200㎢ in 1987, decreased to 2,500㎢ in 2008 and continuously decreased to 2,482㎢ in 2018.

In order for the present and future generations to conserve Getbol transcend national boundaries, we ask the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to designate Getbol, Korean tidal flats, as World Natural Heritage.

World Heritage is a heritage of Outstanding Universal Value for all mankind, designated by the World Heritage Committee, and refers to a heritage listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

On the Article 49 of Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention defines Outstanding Universal Value as “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity”.

Korea’s Getbol have natural importance that transcend national boundaries and must be protected and preserved by all humans of present and future generations.

Sign the petition and cheer for Korea’s Getbol to be protected as World Heritage!

https://chng.it/6qrNwGfYqp

In 2017, at the time of the inauguration of French President Emmanuel Macron, he announced that France would return cultural assets that had been stolen from African countries.

Last year, the French National Assembly(Lower house) unanimously passed a bill to return cultural heritages that were looted over 100 years ago.

Now, determination by France is necessary for the eternal friendship between Korea and France.

President Macron has shown a different view of history from his predecessor since his days as a presidential candidate, defining French colonial rule in Algeria as a “crime against humanity”. And after taking office, the French government began to return cultural heritages that were looted in Africa by French army during the colonial rule.

In March 2018, President Macron commissioned special advisors to review the return of African cultural heritages and asked them to submit a report recommending amendment to the French National Cultural Heritage Laws.

In their report filed in November 2018, they stipulated that in the case of cultural heritages looted by the French army and the government on the African continent between 1885 and 1960, the cultural heritages must be permanently returned upon the official request by the government of corresponding country.

Now, the time has come for France to make a great decision to return permanently not only of the cultural heritages that were looted during the colonial rule in African countries, but also to the Oegyujanggak Uigwe that was plundered from Joseon during the time of imperialism.

France returned the Oegyujanggak Uigwe (a book that summarized the royal events of Joseon Dynasty in writing and painting), which was plundered during the French expedition to Korea in 1866 during French colonial empire, in the form of ‘permanent-loan’ to the Republic of Korea in April 2011.

However, it was not a ‘full return’. There was a condition that the rental(loan) had to be renewed every five years, and even now, the ownership of Uigwe is in the French National Library(BnF: Bibliothèque nationale de France), not the Republic of Korea, so the Republic of Korea cannot independently display and utilize it.

The Uigwe cannot leave the National Museum of Korea unless discussed with BnF.

Above all, because the Oegyujanggak Uigwe is not fully owned by the Republic of Korea government, it cannot be designated as National Treasure of Korea.

In 2016, the Uigwe of Joseon Dynasty in Korea that has been in Korea at all times, was designated as National Treasure, but because of the reason above, Oegyujanggak Uigwe was excluded.

If France changes the rental(loan) of Oegyujanggak Uigwe from a 5-year rental(loan) contract into a full return, France will heal the wounds of imperialism of the past and become a leading country that opens up the great future of the 21st century through the eternal friendship between Korea and France.

Hereupon we ask French government the following:

First, we request the French government to transfer of ownership of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe to the Republic of Korea.

https://chng.it/tnBp88hfzm

It is absurd to say that Joseon has been a subordinate state of China since the ancient times.

All these errors are from the brush tips of historians, and we need to correct these things.

– Zhou Enlai, ex-Premier of China –

If the Chinese government and Chinese nationals deny the words of their ex-premier, who would trust China in the future?

 

Baidu Baike should rectify its homepage’s history distortion of Goguryeo and Balhae!

The Baidu Baike encyclopedia of China’s largest portal site is being used as a propaganda channel for the Chinese government.

As of December 2020, the number of users who searched through Baidu, China’s leading search engine, reached 544 million, which proves its absolute influence.

However, the Baidu Baike is distorting the history of Goguryeo and Balhae, which are important periods of Korean history. Currently, in the introduction of Goguryeo in Baidu Baike states, “Goguryeo is a local government of China, and has no relationship of inheritance nor succession with Goryeo(Wang clan of Goryeo) at all.” Also, in the introduction to Balhae states, “Balhae is a regime in which the Malgal(Mohe) tribe was the main body, and in 698 it was established by Dae Jo-yeong, the head of Sok-malgal(Sumo-Mohe) tribe.”

<Introduction to Goguryeo and Balhae on Baidu Baike>

https://baike.baidu.com/item/高句丽/181650

https://baike.baidu.com/item/渤海国/1551268

The description of Goguryeo and Balhae of Korean history described on Baidu is consistent with the contents of China’s Northeast Project. The Northeast Project is a research project on the history and phenomena of Chinese northeastern border region promoted by Chinese government from 2002 to 2007 to make all the history unfolded within the current Chinese border into Chinese history. China is claiming the Korean history of Goguryeo and Balhae as the history of China in accordance with the Northeast Project. And even though the Northeast Project has ended, the research achievements of the Northeast Project are now known to the world through Baidu, China’s largest portal site.

History distortion regarding Goryeo and Balhae on Baidu is ridiculous.

Baidu argues that Goryeo has no relationship of inheritance with Goguryeo, based on the reason that the surname of Jumong, who founded Goguryeo, and the surname of Wang Geon, who founded Goryeo, are different. However, the logic that the same surname could succeed the country is groundless. This is because most of the previous dynasties, the Qin and Han emperors in Chinese history, also have different surnames.

It is also wrong to introduce the history of Balhae as Chinese history and Malgal(Mohe) tribe as the main body of Balhae. Even in the Chinese history book <the Old Book of Tang>, it is recorded that Dae Jo-yeong, the founder of Balhae, comes from a distinct branch of Goguryeo, and introduces Balhae as a country that inherited Goguryeo. Even the King Mun of Balhae introduces himself as “King of Goryeo”* in a soverign’s message sent to Japan. In addition, in 2005, a tomb of Balhae was discovered in the ancient tomb cluster of Mt. Longtou, and a monument to Empress Sunmok was found in one of the tombs. If Balhae had been a local government in China, the expression “empress” would not have been possible.

You may think that China’s Northeast Project and Baidu’s history distortion of Goguryeo and Balhae are just the opinions of scholars and that it may not be a big problem.

However, China’s Northeast Project is not simply a project to study and record the history of the region at the scholarly level. Rather, it is a project to incorporate the history of the neighboring countries of China into the history of China, ultimately reorganizing the world order centered on China, and to establish a subordinate relationship with the neighboring countries.

You may ask if it is too much of a concern.

In fact, China claims sovereignty over the South China Sea, citing records from the Chinese Han Dynasty in 200 B.C. Accordingly, the concerns of neighboring countries that fear that the next stage of history distortion and incorporation will be invasion and expansion of hegemony cannot be seen as excessive concern.

If you dream of international relations in which the sovereignty of each country is expressed fairly, please join us in raising concerns about the history distortion of the Chinese government, which seeks to cut off and absorb the roots of neighboring people and countries.

We demand the following:

First, Baidu Baike should rectify its homepage’s history distortion of Goguryeo and Balhae!

Second, the Chinese government should withdraw its history and cultural hegemony policies that ruin the friendly relations with neighboring countries!

 

*refers to Goguryeo

<Goguryeo and Balhae, the history of Korea>

http://usa.prkorea.com/korean-history2

https://chng.it/tnBp88hfzm

The Chinese Government should call Baidu to account for denying the words of its own premier who said that samgyetang is Korean food!

“If Korea’s samgyetang and its recipe is introduced to China, many people will enjoy it.”

– Li Keqiang, premier of the People’s Republic of China –

If China itself denies the words of its premier who said samgyetang is Korean food, who would trust China in the future?

On March 29, 2021, Baidu Encyclopedia, a famous Chinese encyclopedia, classified Korean samgyetang as Chinese Cantonese cuisine and home cooking.

Also, it described samgyetang as ‘a Chinese traditional Cantonese soup with Goryeo ginseng, young chicken, and glutinous rice. It was introduced to Korea and became one of the representative royal dishes of Korea. Koreans enjoy Samgyetang as a invigorating food on one of the three dog days of summer.’

Baidu encyclopedia claimed that samgyetang originated in Guangdong Province in southern China, but did not provide any evidence such as literature records.

The contents of the Baidu encyclopedia, which claims that Korean samgyetang originated in Guangdong Province in southern China, are wrong.

Samgyetang is a modern Korean dish that is boiled in an earthen pot with ginseng, glutinous rice, and jujube inside a chicken.

The Korea Rural Development Administration(RDA) explains that ‘whole chicken soup with rice(dak-baeksuk)’ was common in Joseon Dynasty, and that among the wealthy people in Japanese colonial era, there was a dish that put powdered ginseng in dak-baeksuk. The current form of samgyetang was formed after the 1960s and it became popular after the 1970s.

Despite the clear fact that samgyetang is Korean food, it can be speculated that the claim that China has spread samgyetang to Korea is due to the large number of similar hotpot dishes in the Guangdong province of China. Typically, ‘Laohuojing tang’, which is boiled chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables for a long time, is a hotpot dish in Guangdong province. However, most of the ‘Laohuojing tang’ recipes introduced are different from samgyetang in the way that pieces of chicken is put together with medicinal materials and boiled.

In addition, Korea manages the Samgyetang HS Code(Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System), but China’s national standards for classifying Samgyetang are not clear.

According to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, Korea manages ‘Samgyetang(Samge-tang)’ by attaching the HS code ‘1602.32.1010’.

Above all, Chinese premier Li Keqiang, who visited Korea in 2015, said, “If Korea’s samgyetang and its recipe is introduced to China, many people will enjoy it.”

Even though the Chinese premier who represents China said that samgyetang is Korean food, if it is denied by the encyclopedia representing China, who is going to trust the information in the Baidu encyclopedia in the future?

 

This is not the first time Baidu encyclopedia distorted Korean foods.

In 2020, Baidu encyclopedia described “Kimchi originated in China,” and when Korea protested on this, the expression was deleted.

Since the end of 2020, cases of distorting Korean culture as a part of Chinese culture are rapidly increasing rapidly in China.

In China, the government, media, influencers, and netizens allied to claim that Korean kimchi, ssam, gat, hanbok, and pansori originated in China.

The background of China distorting Korean culture lies in China’s distorted perception of history, recognizing the entire history of Korea from Gojoseon to Joseon as the history of China.

In particular, China propelled the ‘Northeast Project’ from 2002 to 2007 in order to turn all the history that happened within the current Chinese border into Chinese history. Since then, China has promoted the Korean history of Goguryeo and Balhae as Chinese history in museums, art galleries, textbooks, and encyclopedias around the world.

Eventually, this distorted perception of history in China expanded to the cultural hegemony of China, claiming Korea’s samgyetang, kimchi, gat, and hanbok as Chinese culture.

China is not only distorting the history and culture of Korea but also ithe histories and cultures of other Asian countires, and in order to prevent history distortion and cultural hegemony of Chinese government, people from all over the world must protest against China.

Accordingly, we demand the following to inform that China’s cultural hegemony can pose a serious threat to world peace.

First, Baidu should correct the distorted expression that described Korea’s samgyetang as Chinese food.

Second, the Chinese Government should call Baidu to account for denying the words of its own premier who said that samgyetang is Korean food!

 

https://chng.it/VJBLnJmtFG

Recently, Chinese netizens terrorized more than 10,000 comments on a photo of a famous Korean celebrity Kim So Hyun wearing hanbok for Seollal(Lunar New Year).

They deny the traditional culture of Koreans and systematically leave disparaging curses with expressions such as “Koreans are photographed in traditional Chinese clothing” and “Thank you for loving traditional Chinese clothes”.

Also, regarding the posts by Korean NGO VANK promoting hanbok, their indiscriminate abusive and demeaning language, contempt and ridicule of Korean history and culture are continuing and the intensity is getting worse as follows: “dick head(狗头)”, “My grandfather is older than your country’s ‘everlasting’ history(我家中祖父的年龄尚且大于贵国“悠久”的历史)”, “Does Korea have history?(韩国有历史吗？)”

As such, it is presumed that the background of this reckless cyber comment terrorism of Chinese netizens include members of the Chinese Wumao Dang(Internet commentators, more known as “50 Cent Party” or “50 Cent Army”) and Xiao Fenhong that have been educated by Zhonghua(Chinese) nationalism.

The 50 Cent Party is a ‘part-timer corps’ that supports the Chinese Communist Party on the Internet and comments on anti-government public opinion. Recently, the Chinese government declared it would turn it into a military organization. Xiao Fenhong is a generation born after the 1990s, who received a lifelong “Zhonghua(Chinese) nationalism” education from the Chinese Communist Party, and is showing off the power of China, which has risen to the ranks of the G2, online.

The 50 Cent Party is committed to cyber-terrorism, denying the cultures of other ethnic groups and using racist expressions and hate expressions by absorbing the generation of Xiao Fenhong who had recently been educated with Zhonghua(Chinese) nationalism.

The contents of their cyber terrorism is mainly hate speech that violates the right to express the cultural identity of other peoples, and it corresponds to racial discrimination.

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) defines “racial discrimination” as: any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

Article 4 of the Convention obligates the States Parties to take punitive legislative measures on ideas based on racial superiority or hatred, incitement to racial discrimination, as well as all acts of violence or incitement to such acts. People’s Republic of China is also the accession state of the Convention.

The acts of enjoying and expressing Korean culture by Koreans are cultural rights protected by Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The 50 Cent Party’s acts of criticizing, despising, and mocking Koreans’ acts of enjoying and expressing Korean culture are acts of racial discrimination that violates the exercise of cultural rights.

In particular, despite the obligation to impose sanctions against racial discrimination, the Chinese government promotes and organizes such discrimination, which is a violation of international law committed by the state.

We are not denying that Korean culture was influenced by neighboring countries.

We have been influenced by the cultures of neighboring countries, and in the process, we just want to shape our culture and freely enjoy and express our culture as an expression of identity.

We are not trying to take away Chinese culture.

We are satisfied enough with our culture and respect the culture of our neighboring countries.

 

We request the international community of the following:

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination should recommend China not to violate the rights to enjoy the identity and culture of other peoples.

The Chinese government should ban racial discrimination and hate speech by its nationals who violate other peoples’ right to enjoy their own culture.

We demand ‘Thatgamecompany, LLC’ to carry out its company motto.

https://chng.it/qLCczpmTSv

“Thatgamecompany’s motto is to be ‘a game studio dedicated to creating timeless interactive entertainment that inspires human connection worldwide.'”

 

In order to inspire human connection worldwide, respecting cultural diversity is essential.

 

Nevertheless, Thatgamecompany is showing an attitude that ignores cultural diversity and gives in to China’s cultural imperialism.

 

The representative of ‘SKY:Children of the Light ‘, a mobile social adventure game developed and serviced by Thatgamecompany, announced the position that the ‘Dancing choreographer spirit’s hat’, a reminiscent of ‘gat’, as ‘Chinese hat’.

 

The item is originally designed in a similar shape to the Korean ‘gat’, and the clothes worn together remind us of ‘durumagi’, a traditional Korean overcoat, of Korean hanbok. Unlike the global server, on the Chinese server, the item was originally designed as a traditional Chinese hat rather than the shape of ‘gat’. Regarding this, Chinese users protested; “Isn’t the company recognizing ‘gat’ as a unique culture of Korea because the design of ‘gat’ is in a different appearance only on the Chinese server?”

 

When Chinese users protested against the company and demanded for an explanation, Thatgamecompany even changed and added a description of the item ‘Hat of Ming Dynasty in CHINA’.

 

“The defence of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative, inseparable from respect for human dignity. It implies a commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular the rights of persons belonging to minorities and those of indigenous peoples.”

-Article 4 of UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity

 

China, interpreting and absorbing ethnic groups(peoples) around today’s borders, is ignoring the dignity of human beings by suppressing the unique traditions and expressions of other ethnic groups(peoples). The behaviors of Chinese users who claim that Hanbok or Gat is the clothing of Chinese Nation(Zhonghua Minzu), not admitting it as Korean traditional clothing, and accusing the company to delete it from in-game description are acts of denying and damaging the identity of other ethnic groups.

 

This attitude of China started with an attempt to incorporate all the history unfolded in the northeast region of China into Chinese history through the Northeast Project, which started in 2002. Since then, China continues to extend the length of the Great Wall based on today’s borders, and claims that the heroes of other ethnic groups, such as Genghis(Jinghiz) Khan and King Gwanggaeto the Great are also Chinese. Also, the comments of Korean celebrities are being attacked indiscriminately if they go against the feelings of Chinese Nation(Zhonghua Minzu).

 

We ask Thatgamecompany to not give in to China’s attitude of cultural imperialism and find a true way for inspiring human connection worldwide.

https://chng.it/NGHnYQwmH6

Korean War broke out due to North Korea’s invasion of the South. According to the release of confidential documents by the former Soviet Union in the 1960s, Kim Il-sung and the then highest DPRK leadership conceived a three-phase plan for the war. The former Soviet Union and China cooperated with North Korea’s Kim Il-sung before the war, and the date of the invasion on June 25th was determined by Kim Il-sung himself.

 

At that time, South Korea, or the Republic of Korea received support from 67 countries during the Korean War. Among the 67 countries, 16 sent UN Forces, 5 gave medical support, 40 provided supplies, and 6 supported post-war reconstruction. Korea is listed in the Guinness World Records as an ally that received the most support from countries during a war. Also, more than 500,000 people were recorded as war death/death, wounded, disappeared, POW among the United Nations Forces that fought in the war.

 

The freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea were not the only values that the Korean War veterans preserved with their sacrifices. The Korean War was a war to overcome division, but from the beginning, it was also an “international all-out war” between the Free World against the Communist World allied with the former Soviet Union, China, and North Korea. The Korean War veterans sacrificed for peace in Northeast Asia and for world peace.

 

It is said that remembering the past is promising the future. We do remember the link of solidarity created by the veterans. We remember the young men and women who were willing to grab the hands of others without letting go of their weak links and endangering world peace. From the courage and sacrifice we keep in mind, we will be able to go one step further for the peace of humanity.

 

We call on the Korean government and the UN to build Korean War veterans monuments around the world. The Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, together with the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation are building ‘Wall of Remembrance’ inside the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington D. C. until 2022.

 

We call on these efforts to expand beyond the United States to the following countries.

 

First, the government of the Republic of Korea and the United Stations should build a monument for Korean War veterans in each of the participant countries in order to remember the peace that the veterans have kept.

 

Second, the government of the Republic of Korea, the United Stations, and the participant countries, please promote various commemorative projects that can pass on to the next generation of the Korean War veterans’ noble dedication.

 

 

* List of 67 countries that supported Republic of Korea during the Korean War

(in alphabetical order)

 

United Nations Troops Support (16)

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

 

Medical Support (5)

Denmark, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden

 

Material Support (40)

Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam

 

post-war Reconstruction Support (6)

Iraq, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Spain, The Vatican

https://chng.it/Rdwy9qfSDr

 

Which of the following food come from China?

1) pizza

2) hamburger

3) kimchi

4) ssam

 

None of the choices are correct. These foods did not come from China. Pizza and hamburger come from Western countries, and kimchi and ssam come from Korea.

For those who have experienced Korean food culture, the first time you tried kimchi and ssam would have been a pretty unusual one from those you have had with other food cultures. For those who have never heard of kimchi or ssam, a typical kimchi is a dish that is fermented after mixing salted cabbage or radish with seasoning such as red pepper powder, green onions, and garlic. And ssam is a dish that you enjoy by laying rice, meat and side dishes on a leaf of lettuce(or cabbage, sesame leaf, pumpkin leaf, and so on) and wrap the whole thing and eat at one go. These two dishes all come from Korea and have been parts of Korean culture for a long time.

But recently, there have been people who stubbornly persist that kimch and ssam are not part of Korean food and culture.

They are Chinese netizens.

Chinese netizens have been persisting that Korean food culture are from China by fabricating and distorting on the internet. Furthermore, they are insulting and condemning those who are enjoying Korean food.

Regarding a YouTube video of a Korean YouTuber eating kimchi and ssam, Chinese netizens claimed that the YouTuber stole Chinese culture, and they committed cyber terrorism, leaving malicious comments such as ‘Piss off, you YouTubers who claim that ssam and kimchi are from Korea.’

Even more embarrassing, a Chinese media company(上海素贤广告传媒有限公司) that was working with the YouTuber suddenly unilaterally terminated the contract with the YouTuber. The notice of termination is also ridiculous. The company stated that ‘the YouTuber caused bad influence on the Chinese public, so the company has decided to terminate all cooperation with the YouTuber. Our company is firmly opposed to any acts of insulting China, and it also resolutely safeguards the dignity of our country and the people from the ones insulting China’s attitudes and remarks.’

We cannot really understand what content in the video of a Korean YouTuber eating Korean food has seriously given adverse affects to China, insulted China, or harmed the dignity of the Chinese people.

But what is obvious is that Chinese netizens and the company are trying to steal Korea’s native food culture and claiming that kimchi and ssam are native food cultures of China.

This is not the first time in China’s acts of stealing Korean culture and claiming that Korean culture belongs to Chinese. China has already distorted the history of Goguryeo and Balhae as the history of China for decades and has been promoting these to the world as their own history. China has been insisting various historical and cultural distortions as the following: Hanbok is a Chinese traditional attire, Taegeukgi (national flag of Korea) was invented by a Chinese, Korean children’s song and folk song are Chinese songs, and world-class football player Son Heung-min’s ancestors are Chinese.

This is a form of chauvinism and Zhounghua(Chinese) nationalism merged together, and in reality beyond cyberspace, these actions and claims are being blatantly conducted by China.

We condemn Chinese netizens, Chinese companies, and the Chinese government for blatant acts to steal Korean culture!

If China continues to blindly manipulate and distort Korean culture as its own, China will surely lose trust from the entire world. If China continues to steal like this, the world will brand China as ‘a thief who steals Korean culture’.

In addition to this, before China condemns and insults other people’s critical remarks about China’s distorting behavior, it needs to realize that the stealing act itself that has been already committed is wrong in the first place.

If we remain silent, this kind of incident will be repeated in the future.

 

Please raise your voice of opposition to China’s chauvinism and Zhounghua(Chinese) nationalism that steals Korean culture!

First, the Chinese government should stop stealing Korean culture!

Second, the Chinese government should express concern about the actions and comments of its own citizens and their own companies that hinder peaceful exchanges between Koreans and their own people.

https://chng.it/RXhmrzV5yW

Before we travel to a country, we often look for information about that country on the internet.

However, since there are not many ways to find out if any information on the internet is reliable, we strive to find the reliable ones.

Maybe one of the easiest ways is to find a book about the country.

It is because we believe that the content on the book is verified and verified by people who know the country better than ourselves.

Therefore, a guidebook could be a very useful book during the trip. It is good for grasping the culture, history, food, tourist destinations, convenience facilities of the country, and so on, and the book is a collection of good information for travelers to know.

But how would you respond if the contents described in the guidebook have absurd errors and distortions?

Followed by the distortion and derogation of Korea in “The Rough Guide to Korea”, Korean guidebooks published by world famous tourist publishers are overflowing with errors.

(relevant petition : http://maywespeak.com/guidebook )

Lonely Planet Korea(11th edition, 2019), Insight Guides South Korea(12th, 2019), South Korea Travel for Kids(2019) are the most recent Korean guidebooks published by Lonely Planet, Insight Guides, Dinobibi Publishing respectively.

The Lonely Planet has history that reaches up to fifty years, and is a famous tourist publishing company that has a reputation as a ‘Bible of travel publishing’. The company has been publishing Lonely Planet Korea guidebook for more than 30 years since 1991.

The Insight Guides has history over fifty years and is also famous for packaged tours. The company also has been publishing Insight Guides South Korea guidebook for more than 40 years since 1981.

Dinobibi Publishing is a company that publishes history books and guidebooks for children, and interestingly, it publishes books that set up a child from one country introducing his/her home country to children from other countries, and a Korean guidebook was recently published.

After researching and analyzing the contents of Korea, more than 20, 32, and 24 errors and distortions about Korea in each book has been revealed.

At this very moment, these books are being sold on various bookstores worldwide, each publishing company’s web site and through online shopping malls.

 

Typical errors are as follows.

(1) Lonely Planet Korea 11th edition, 2019

▶“Koreans perform sebae(a ritual bow) on Chuseok.” : “The three-day Harvest Moon Festival is a major holiday when families gather, visit their ancestors’ graves and perform sebae(a ritual bow). Begins on 12 September in 2019, 30 September 2020 and 20 september 2021.”

→ On Chuseok, Koreans do not perform sebae. Koreans perform sebae on Seollal(Lunar New Year’s day).

▶“Unified Silla was under the long-term sway of the great Tang.” : “Silla emerged victorious on the peninsula in 668. However, a consequence of this was that the country had come under the long-term sway of the great Tang dynasty (618-907) in China.”

→ Silla was never held sway over by Tang.

▶“Between 2000 and 2008, the Lee Myung bak administration suspended the Sunshine policy.” : “Between 2000 and 2008, when Lee Myung bak’s administration suspended the (Sunshine)policy, tens of thousands of South Koreans were able to visit the North.”

→ President Lee Myung-bak began his presidency in 2008, and the Sunshine Policy was not stopped but actively developed between 2000 and 2008.

 

(2) Insight Guides South Korea 12th edition, 2019

▶“Gojoseon has 400 years of history.” : “GOJOSEON PERIOD / 800-400 BC / Korea’s Bronze Age”

→ The history of Gojoseon dates back to 2333 B.C. to 108 B.C..

▶“Taekwondo is a traditional martial art of Korea that has lasted for more than 2,000 years and was learned from Tang.” : “Taekwondo, literally the way of combat kicking and punching, is a martial art exercise that has been developing in Korea for more than 2,000 years. … This empty hand-fighting technique was learned from China during the Tang dynasty.”

→ If Taekwondo was learned from Tang(618-907) and lasted more than 2,000 years, the year of today should be at least 2600, not 2021. Taekwondo is not a martial art that originated from Tang.

▶“Bibimbap is a rice and vegetable stew.” : “Jeonju – renowned for its paper and paper products, its bibimbap [rice and vegetable stew]…”

→ Bibimbap is not a rice and vegetable stew. Bibimbap is rice mixed with meat or vegetables and various seasonings.

 

(3) South Korea Travel for Kids, 2019

▶“Seoul is located in Gyeonggi Province.” : “Seoul, the capital of South Korea is located in the Gyeonggi Province.”

→ Seoul is the capital of South Korea, but the Seoul Metropolitan city is an administrative autonomous district separate from Gyeonggi Province. Seoul is not located in Gyeonggi Province.

▶“Koreans drink tteokguk.” : “We believe drinking one bowl of tteokguk makes us one year older. So, we kids try to drink as many bowls as we can!”

→ We eat, not drink, tteokguk.

▶“Seoul hosted the Olympic Games in 2002.” : “In which year did Seoul host the Olympic Games? 1. 1994, 2. 1998, 3. 2002. Answer: (3) 2002”

→Seoul hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1988. The year 2002 is when Korea co-hosted the World Cup with Japan.

 

The typical errors and distortions above are chosen from each book that contains 20+, 32+, 24+ errors and distortions respectively. In addition to this, various errors and distortions are describe in the guidebooks. (The full list of errors is detailed at the bottom of the petition.)

We have described correction details for each error with arrows(→). The above examples of errors are too obvious so that could be found very easily in the standpoint of Koreans. However, if somebody who does not know much about Korea were to buy and read these books, there would be high probability that the foreigner would believe the errors and distorted contents in the guidebooks just as they are, and after that, the foreigners will visit Korea with their heads filled up with misconception and prejudice. This might happen because these publishers are deemed to have public credibility.

If it is a guidebook about Korea, publishers should at least receive a review of the authenticity of the contents to be described in the guidebooks by a Korean or a Korea(n) expert, and should carefully check the contents and provide accurate information.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of tourists visiting Korea has decreased more than ever, but on the contrary, the number of foreigners who are interested in such as Korean culture, people and history through the internet has increased than ever before. It is important to rectify these errors in guidebooks because these Korea guidebooks are to be obtained and viewed by people from all over the world who are going to visit Korea after this epidemic is over.

If the guidebooks about Korea do not correct these errors, with the Korean Wave fever around the world, such as K-pop and K-drama, 100 million Korean Wave fans around the world will get false information about Korea. And through this the increased interest in Korea may be a bad chance to develop a distorted perception about Korea.

Therefore, we request Lonely Planet, the publisher of the 11th edition of Lonely Planet Korea; Insight Guides, the publisher of the 12th edition of Insight Guides South Korea; Dinobibi Publishing, the publisher of South Korea Travel for Kids, to correct errors and distortions about Korea in the books.

First, Lonely Planet, Insight Guides, Dinobibi Publishing should apologize for the errors and distortions on each books and promise to correct them.

Second, Lonely Planet, Insight Guides, Dinobibi Publishing, after consulting experts on errors and distortions of each book, should determine whether the facts on the books are true or not, and then describe the revisions in the upcoming edition of each book.

https://chng.it/4tsdWdBTjS

From the standpoint of a foreigner, there is something that everyone reads at least once before traveling to a new country. What is it?

It is buying or borrowing a guidebook that introduces the country.

A guidebook shows basic living information, culture, history, food, people, tourist attractions about the country.

By the way, could you believe it if a guidebook for people around the world who want to travel Korea is degrading Korea?

The distortion and derogation of Korea in “The Rough Guide to Korea”, a guidebook enjoyed by tourists from all over the world, is very serious.

On the most recently published edition(Nov. 2018, 4th edition) of “The Rough Guide to Korea” guidebook has more than 36 distortions of Korea and it describes beyond a specific field in so much variety and shocking contents including sexual discrimination, racial discrimination, regional discrimination, defaming Korean society, defaming Korean ladies, defaming Provisional Government of Korea, Korean history distortion, Korean culture distortion, and Descriptive errors on Korea.

The “Rough Guides” which publishes “The Rough Guide to Korea” is a British publisher established in 1982 and has been publishing guidebooks of more than 200 places around the world, and this book is a famous travel guide for Europeans.

The book has been sold online through Amazon and publisher’s web site, and on various book stores around the world.

Typical examples of errors, distortions and derogation of “The Rough Guide to Korea 4th edition is as follows.(The full list of errors is detailed at the bottom.)

▶Marking Ulleungdo as under the jurisdiction of Gangwon-do on the map of Korea.

▶Describing Korea’s public transportation system as “in some cities (notably Seoul) you’re no longer able to pay in cash at all”

▶Describing Taekwondo as “Taekwondo (태권도) is the best known – developed in Tang-dynasty China,”

▶Describing the issue of geographical naming of the East Sea as “The victim mentality drilled into Korean students during their history lessons is such that any perceived slant against the nation, no matter how slight, can turn into a serious issue that has the whole country boiling with rage.”, “Korean diplomats raised enough of a stink to take the issue to the United Nations,”

▶Describing the Independence Hall of Korea as “Scarcely an opportunity is missed to insert a derogatory adjective against the Japanese people and policies of the time, but this combination of vitriol and history makes for an absorbing visit.”

▶“1248 – Korea becomes a vassal state of Mongol Khaans” on a chronological table of Korean history.

▶ Disparaging Korean freedom fighters and Provisional Government of Korea by describing the end of Japanese colonial rule as “Modern Korean museums and history books extol the achievements of what was, in reality, a largely toothless group. In doing this they gloss over the fundamental reason for Korea’s independence: the American A-bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, …”

▶Introducing K-pop as “While the term(K-pop) is broad, it usually refers to saccharine boy- and girl-band pap, which since the turn of the century has been accompanying music videos become ever more raunchy.”

These are not the only errors, distortions and derogations of Korea in this book

In the latest edition, the description between single quotation marks‘’ below is deleted, but on the previous third edition, on the same issue of geographical naming of the East Sea describes

▶“Koreans insist that the name is a symbol of Japan’s imperial past, and youth hostel wall maps around the world have had the name crossed out by ‘kimchi chomping’ Korean travellers and replaced with ‘East Sea’.”

Even the fourth edition(2018), which was published more recently than the third edition(2015), distorts and disparages Korea more severely.

▶Daegu’s Apple Girls

In the third edition, in the column introducing Daegu, under the heading “Apple Girls” describes “This fruit from the surrounding countryside is said to keep the skin pimple-free, and also provides the blanching effect that Korean girls crave.”

In comparison, in the revised 4th edition, under the heading “Daegu’s Apple girls”, describes “However, those who have spent some time in Seoul will notice that women in Daegu seem to dress at least a few years behind their counterparts from the capital – one of the most visible indications of the city’s long-standing conservatism.”, which encompasses racism, defaming Koreans, demeaning Korean ladies, and regional discrimination.

In addition to the above, the 4th edition of “The Rough Guide to Korea” describes various errors, distortions and degradations. It is a very doubful book whether it is a guidebook that introduces Korea to people around the world who are interested in Korea or a book that was produced to disparage and mock Korea.

If a Korean guidebook disparages Korea as above, it can give wrong and distorted perception of Korea to people around the world who visit Korea and can cause serious problems that could lead to preconceptions about Korea, Koreans, Korean culture and history.

If it is a guidebook about Korea, at least it should be consulted by a Korean or a Korean expert on the authenticity of the contents, and it should be published after careful examination of the facts.

Above all, more people around the world have become interested in Korea than ever before, and as the number of people around the world who want to learn Korean language is increasing. With 100 million Hallyu(Korean Wave) fans worldwide through BTS, BLACKPINK, Korean dramas and movies, the errors, distortions and degradation of the guidebook introducing Korea as such must be corrected and rectified.

Therefore, we request Rough Guides, the publisher of the 4th edition of The Rough Guide to Korea, to correct errors, distortions, and degradation about Korea.

First, the Rough Guides should apologize for the errors, distortions, and degradation about Korea on the 4th edition of The Rough Guide to Korea.

Second, the Rough Guides, after consulting experts on errors, distortions and degradation of the 4th edition of The Rough Guide to Korea, should determine whether the facts on the book are true or not, and then describe the revisions in the upcoming edition of The Rough Guide to Korea.

https://chng.it/gVf5VKWXsz

Chinese people like the color red.

But it does not mean that all red items come from China.

Not all red items are from China.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean food that originated in Korea.

Stop China’s cultural hegemony!

China, which distorted Korean Hanbok and Arirang as Chinese culture, is now distorting Korean traditional food, Kimchi as Chinese food.

On November 29, 2020, China’s state-run media, Global Times(环球时报), took a post from a site called Fengwen(hearsay) Community(风闻社区), a platform operated by Chinese media, Guancha Syndicate(观察者网), and posted on Global Times Baidu account.

In an article posted on the Baidu account by Global Times, Pao Cai(泡菜), a pickled vegetable in China was set as an international standard by the ISO(International Organization for Standardization) that “Korean Kimchi is also Pao Cai, so now China is the world standard for Kimchi industry.”

The Global Times spread the distorted text even though the ISO clearly stated that “This (ISO) document does not apply to Kimchi.”

ISO’s new accreditation as an international standard is a pickle-like salted vegetable from Sichuan Province, China, which is different from traditional Korean Kimchi.

Chinese Pao Cai and Korean Kimchi are completely different foods because there are major differences in shape, manufacturing process, and fermentation stage. Above all, the international standard that China advocates is meaningless with the exclusion of Korea, the birthplace of Kimchi.

For this reason, on November 30th, the BBC stipulated that reports of the Chinese media’s “international Kimchi Standard” was misleading.

In an article entitled “Kimchi ferments cultural feud between South Korea and China”, the BBC reported that “South Korea has rebuffed China after ‘false reports’ that it had won global certification for its production of Kimchi – a hallowed dish for Koreans”

The BBC also introduced the ingredients of Kimchi and Kimjang culture of Korea, explaining that it is different from China’s Pao Cai.

However, it is not only the Chinese state-run media that distorts Kimchi.

In the encyclopedia of Baidu, China’s largest portal site, there is a distorted description of Kimchi that it is a long cultural heritage of China and the origin of Kimchi is China.

Media and portal site with great influence in China distorting as ‘the origin of Kimchi is China’ and ‘Kimchi is a Chinese cultural heritage’, and leaving it uncorrected, can be seen as an expression of China’s willingness to promote Kimchi as a Chinese culture.

 

VANK speculates that the distortion of Kimchi in China’s Global Times and Baidu Encyclopedia is the so called ‘Kimchi Project’ to transform Korean food culture into Chinese culture, like the Northeast Project promoted by the Chinese government to distort Korean Goguryeo into Chinese history.

For Koreans, Kimchi is a long-standing cultural heritage of Korea and a symbol of food culture that reveals Koreans’ identity to the international community

In this sense, China’s so-called ‘Kimchi Project’ to take Kimchi into Chinese culture reveals China’s nationalism and cultural hegemony. If this is left unattended, it will lead to great divisions and conflicts between the citizens of both Korea and China.

Therefore, if the international community remains idle on China’s cultural hegemony, it will be a great threat to peace in Northeast Asia, and world peace in the future will be shadowed by dark clouds.

Accordingly, we request the rectification of incorrect reports and information on Kimchi in Chinese state-run media, Global Times, and in China’s representative portal site, Baidu.

First, Global Times should apologize for spreading misinformation about Kimchi.

Second, Baidu should correct misinformation about Kimchi in its encyclopedia.

https://chng.it/dnf2k5Bkdk

Have you heard of Jikji?

Jikji was printed in 1377 at Heungdeoksa Temple in Cheongju, Korea during the Goryeo dynasty (918~1392), and is the world’s oldest existing book printed with movable metal type.

Jikji was listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register on September 4th, 2001.

In order to be listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register
it is required to have integrity, originality, and irreplaceability,
have the global importance in time, venue, human, subject, and theme value,
and to be a case that contributes to the emotional attachment of a particular community to the records, or to the current communal identity and social cohesion.

UNESCO decided to register Jikji as it meets this standard,
and the reasons for registration are as follows:

“Jikji is the world’s oldest existing book printed with movable metal type that has had a great influence on the spread of printing culture and human history.
Accordingly, it was recognized as a documentary heritage that had a worldwide influence, and currently only one copy is kept in France, so the rarity was largely considered in its selection as a UNESCO Memory of the World.
In addition, Jikji and the Gutenberg Bibles are the world’s oldest surviving Eastern-Western book printed with movable metal types, the greatest heritage that has revolutionized the documentary culture of humankind. It was recommended to be listed in the spirit of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.”

Where can we meet Jikji, a rare Memory of the World that has had global influence?

At this moment, we cannot directly meet the human experience and anguish embodied in Jikji.

The National Library of France, (Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF) does not allow Jikji to be exhibited anywhere in the world, and Jikji is kept in its storage without being exhibited at the BnF.

Jikji, created in the Goryeo Dynasty in Korea, was brought to France by French diplomat Victor Collin de Plancy at the end of the 19th century, and was later sold to a collector and was donated to the BnF.

What is all known about Jikji is that in 1972, Dr. Park Byeongseon, a researcher at BnF found Jikji, which was mixed with books from other countries, and was submitted to a book fair held in Paris.

France is completely blocking the opportunity for the humanity to encounter Jikji, to learn from it, and to lead to new challenges and creativity.

We want to properly study the value of Jikji, a UNESCO Memory of the World, and as a future generation, we want to learn and engage in creative activities.

Furthermore, in consideration of the emotional attachment that Koreans have to the record of Jikji and the fact that Jikji contributes to the formation of the identity of the Korean community, we believe that it is necessary to keep and properly study it in Korea.

Therefore, we request the French Government and the BnF of the following:

First, the French government and the BnF should properly study and display Jikji.
Second, France should return or lend Jikji to Korea so that Koreans can encounter and understand the roots of their culture.

https://chng.it/vBzxQKYVVb

On October 29th, a Chinese company Papergames Inc. launched a new mobile styling game ‘Shining Nikki’ in Korea. Commemorating the launch, the company started its first event on November 4th by selling Hanbok items, traditional Korean clothing, simultaneously in Korea and China.

 

Regarding this event, Chinese internet users argued that Hanbok is a Chinese culture, such as a ‘Chinese Ming Dynasty Costume’ or ‘Hanbok is a costume of ethnic minority Koreans living in China’.

 

Regarding the incident, Papergames Inc. expressed its position on this issue as follows: “As a ‘One China’ company, the positions of Papergames and our country(China) are always consistent. We will actively fulfill our responsibility and mission as a Chinese company.” Just a week after the launch. the company deleted the Hanbok items and declared the withdrawal of the Korean business. It did not apologize for the demeaning of Hanbok and Korean culture.

 

The claim that Hanbok is a Chinese clothing ignores the cultural diversity and identity of other ethnic groups.

 

Although the cultures of Korea, China, and Japan in Northeast Asia have been influenced by each other, there are traditional and unique costumes that are distinguished by country. For example, in Korea, there is ‘Hanbok’. In China, there is ‘Qipao’, and in Japan, there is ‘Kimono’.

 

<Mexico City Declaration on Cultural Policies> in 1982 states:

1. Every culture represents a unique and irreplaceable body of values since each people’s traditions and forms of expression are its most effective means of demonstrating its presence in the world.
2. The assertion of cultural identity therefore contributes to the liberation of the peoples, Conversely, any form of domination constitutes a denial or an impairment of that identity.

 

 

Hanbok, a traditional Korean clothing, is a matter of Korean people’s identity and pride.

 

Nevertheless, the Chinese government is trying to control other countries and nations with ‘Zhonghua(Chinese) Nationalism(Zhonghua Minzuzhuyi, 中华民族主義)’ in order to reorganize the world order centered on China. China is trying to embrace all 55 ethnic minorities as one nation and is advocating ‘Zhounghua(Chinese) nation(Zhonghua Minzu, 中华民族) by clearing borders between ethnic groups, distorting facts, and not allowing opinions different from the distorted facts and going on a path to keep others silent.

 

Chinese netizens demand that Hanbok should not be described as a traditional clothing of Korea because it is influenced by China and is the clothing of the ethnic minority Koreans in China. We criticize China for interpreting and absorbing nations within today’s borders, and suppressing the unique traditions and expressions of other peoples. Preventing Korean traditional clothing from being called as Korean traditional clothing and claiming those to be ‘Zhounghua(Chinese) nation(Zhonghua Minzu, 中华民族)’s clothes, and deleting Hanbok are acts of denying and damaging the identity of other ethnic groups.

 

These kinds of China’s attitudes and actions did not start all of a sudden. The attempt to incorporate all of the history developed in the northeast region of China into Chinese history through the Northeast Project was launched in 2002 and it was its beginning. Since then, the length of the Great Wall has been increased based on today’s borders, and the heroes of other ethnic groups, such as Genghis Khan and King Gwanggaeto, are also claimed to be as ‘Zhounghua(Chinese) nation(Zhonghua Minzu, 中华民族)’. The remarks of Korean celebrities are also being attacked indiscriminately if they go against the feelings of the ‘Zhounghua(Chinese) nation(Zhonghua Minzu, 中华民族). Furthermore, the ethnic minorities in China are deprived of the right to learn the traditions and cultures contained in their mother tongue and to be connected with their roots.

 

<relevant Global Petitions>

* Stop Chinese government from distorting history of Goguryeo!

https://chng.it/xPsVh8Q4Kr

* Is the Great Wall of China a wall made of rubber band?

https://chng.it/cmDSgNsVJr

* Stop China’s cyber chauvinism which lynched a Korean celebrity!

* UNESCO, Save the mother tongues of ethnic minorities in China!

 

 

Meanwhile, Papergames Inc.‘s response abandoned its responsible management as a multinational corporation.

 

Papergames Inc. has declared that it only has the identity of a Chinese company. It is a multinational company as it has advanced into Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia. As a multinational corporation, the company should have shown a responsible management attitude.

 

With the emergence of digital technology, new types of companies that exist internationally with no specific link to a country have emerged, so corporate responsibility management has become more important. It is because the control of the state became difficult. Multinational corporations must preemptively take measures such as protecting personal information, protecting consumers, and preventing violence and hateful contents. (Guideline For Multinational Enterprises : Responsible business conduct & digitalization, from OECD workshop, 4 November 2019)

 

However, the Papergames Inc. did not make any effort to mediate or resolve the conflict caused by Chinese netizens’ Korean culture disparagement and hate speech. The company just chose to shut down and withdraw their business a week after its launch of the game ‘Shining Nikki’.

 

 

Therefore, we demand the following to the Chinese government and Papergames Inc.

 

1. The Papergames Inc. should apologize for disparaging Korean culture and Hanbok.
2. The Chinese government should stop invading the cultures of neighboring countries and peoples.
3. The UNESCO should warn the Chinese government that suppresses cultural diversity and the right to express one’s culture.

https://chng.it/6JqYTR898S

Despite the need to provide fair and accurate information based on the United States Department of State(DOS)’s vision and impact, the DOS’s home page displays incorrect information about Korea.

The DOS is one of the U.S. central administrative departments, carrying out all U.S. foreign relations duties, and is the same as the foreign ministry of other countries that directs diplomatic offices around the world.

Their vision states that on behalf of the American people they promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

The DOS serves as a key source of information through its home page, providing American citizens with things to keep in mind when traveling around the world.

As the DOS performs the above tasks, they need to provide more fair and accurate information.

However, the DOS is displaying incorrect information on the map of Korea on their official web site.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthKorea.html

The eastern sea of Korea has a unique name called the ‘East Sea’, which Koreans have called for more than 2,000 years, but the DOS still marks only the ‘Sea of Japan’ despite years of request for correction to mark the eastern sea of Korea as the ‘East Sea’.

The ‘Sea of Japan’ is a remnant of Japanese imperialism, a partial name advocating for Japanese imperialism, and is a fallacy against the DOS’s vision to promote and prove democratic values.

The East Sea notation is not just a matter of naming for Koreans, but a matter of regaining the name of Koreans that was unreasonably taken away during the Japanese occupation(1910-1945).

During the colonial rule of Korea, Japan made Korean people impossible to speak Korean language or write Korean letters and forced them to use only Japanese.

At this time, Korean place names were changed to Japanes,e and the expression “Sea of Japan” was widely introduced to the international community and was fixed throughout the world.

In addition, the East Sea has been a place of living and worship for the Korean people, and sometimes has been a stage of history.

The name East Sea(Dong hae, 동해) contains the history, culture, and identity that symbolize Korea.

In the records of various documents and maps, the East Sea has not only appeared as a simple place name, but has served as an object to pray for the people’s abundance and well-being, the stage of history, the background of the folk tales, and the foundation of life.

Just as the first word of the first verse of the Korean national anthem begins with ‘East Sea(Dong hae, 동해)’, the East Sea is a symbol and history of Korea.

Also, the East Sea is still used as a number of symbols in various areas of life such as human names, geographical names and business names.

This is not the only error in the map on DOS web site.

The DOS has marked Dokdo, a Korean territory, as Japanese territory on its web site until 2018, and when you click Dokdo on the map, Japan travel information appeared on the screen.

As of 2020, the topography of Dokdo remains on the map, but there are no markings including the name, so Dokdo on the map appears to be nobody’s territory(terra nullius), not Korean territory.

Dokdo is a beautiful island of Korea where Koreans reside and is consisted of Dongdo(East island), Seodo(West island) and surrounding islets.

On the other hand, the ‘Okinotori Reef’, which is made up of two reefs that the Japanese government claims to be an island, is 1740km away from Tokyo, but they say that the administrative authority of the ‘Okinotori Reef’ belongs to Tokyo Metropolis.

This ‘Okinotori Reef’ is uninhabitable, and compared to Dokdo, it covers only about 1/20000 of Dokdo’s area, but the U.S. DOS map describes both reefs as islands with the name notated as ‘Okinotori-shima Is’.

The Japanese relentlessly arguing that the ‘Sea of Japan’ is an international name, and is constantly trying to generate international disputes, saying Dokdo is Japanese territory and that Korea is occupying the island illegally.

However, both the United States and Japan have known the truth of the East Sea and Dokdo for a long time, and the world’s view of the East Sea and Dokdo is also changing.

The DOS has remained silent about Koreans’ requests to correct the errors about the East Sea and Dokdo, but changes are already happening in the United States and around the world.

In 2014, a bill mandating the ‘East Sea’ and ‘Sea of Japan’ notation in the textbooks of Virginia State public schools passed a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives, and from 2017, the Virginia Department of Education has included the East Sea and the Sea of Japan together in all textbooks.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/02/07/273125480/virginia-textbooks-to-recognize-s-koreas-east-sea-claim

Also, in 2019, the New York State Department of Education issued an ‘Update Guidance for Sea of Japan/East Sea’ to all public school districts across the state, and recommends using the ‘East Sea’ and ‘Sea of Japan’ together when teaching students.
http://www.nysed.gov//memo/curriculum-instruction/updated-guidance-sea-japaneast-sea

In 1999, the Japanese government distributed the following materials around the world to prevent the ‘East Sea’ from being marked. “97.2% of the world maps are marked as the ‘Sea of Japan’, and the map marked as ‘East Sea’ is only in Korea. Therefore, the ‘Sea of Japan’ is a common sense recognized by people around the world.”
However, 20 years later in 2019, more than 40% of the world maps mark the ‘East Sea’ either individually or side by side with ‘Sea of Japan’, with the efforts of Korean citizens and Koreans around the world.

In the World Health Organization(WHO)’s map of Korea, Dokdo, a Korean territory, was not marked on the Korean map, but was marked in the same color as Japanese territory on the map of Japan. However, through Koreans’ requests for correction of errors and through Global Petition, we have changed the WHO, which had been silent for seven months.

The WHO did not newly list corrected maps, but as a compromise on maps, it has deleted the maps in the introduction section of all countries, including Korea and Japan, and marked the national flags on the same section.
https://www.change.org/p/world-health-organization-who-world-health-organization-who-who-is-it-for/u/27913504

The DOS home page says that the information contained within is updated on a daily basis, and that the names and boundary representation are not necessarily authoritative, but the DOS is evading responsibility for errors in marking the East Sea and Dokdo of Korea that they have been neglecting.

In order for a country’s central administrative department to include facts about Korea on its official web site, it is of course necessary to check and determine the relevant records on such as Korean society, history and name, and then register the precise facts.

We demand the United States Department of State to correct the errors of the East Sea and Dokdo island of Korea, which are displayed on its home page, in accordance with the vision of DOS.

First, we request the DOS to mark the name of the eastern sea of Korea as the ‘East Sea’.

Second, we demand the DOS that the island located at the eastern end of Korea be marked as ‘Dokdo’.

https://chng.it/SnBnqp6Mrv

Do you remember the Jews who died of Holocaust?

The Jews were ordered to ‘go inside the shower room to get a shower’.
The Jews were delighted to take a shower after a long time and headed towards the shower room.
However, no water came out of the shower.
Instead of water, gas came out of the shower, and the Jews were suffocated by gas without knowing anything.

The systematically planned genocide happened not only in Germany.

Do you know the Korean victims of wartime forced labor that died in the vessel, Ukishima?

Japan’s loss of WWⅡ, August 1945

The civilians of wartime forced labor were ordered to ‘board the ship to your home’.
More than 5,000 laborers boarded the Ukishima bound for Busan with the hope that they could finally return to their homes.
However, the Ukishima didn’t head toward Busan.

Willing to avoid criticism from the international community for wartime forced labor, the Japanese government planned a systematic genocide when sending back civilians on the return vessel to Joseon(Korea).
The Japanese government ordered the crew to annihilate and commit suicide, not to repatriate the conscripted workers.

According to an investigation report prepared at the request of the Allied Forces, there was a record that there was a crew demonstration arguing that Japanese crews could not give their lives because of Joseon people(Koreans), and there was a record that the chief of staff of the Navy had commanded the crews to give up their lives.
The captain and crew, who were instructed, changed to the route along the coast, not heading toward Busan.
The reason was to guide it to the coast of Maizuru Bay, where there were many mines, to disguise it as an accident.

On the way down the coast, the vessel stopped off the coast of Maizuru Bay, Japan, and the Japanese Navy escaped. The vessel soon exploded.
Three consecutive explosions happened inside the vessel.
Most of the Koreans aboard the ship died as they were

Since then, the Japanese government had not conducted any investigation to probe the truth and did not lift the ship for nine years after the sinking.
In order to hide the evidence of the sinking by explosion, the Japanese government concealed the evidence by separating and selling scrap metal after the salvage.

This corresponds to the slaughter of civilians, which was carried out thoroughly from the initial plan to concealment under the initiative and plan of the Japanese government to erase the brutality of forced conscription.
This is an international misconduct in violation of the Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide(a.k.a. Genocide Convention).

Japan insists that this incident is simply an accident caused by a United States military mine, so it is not a national misconduct.

However, Japan cannot explain
Why the vessel changed its route,
Why the crews were ordered to annihilate and commit suicide,
Why the Japanese Navy was able to predict an explosion and escape from ‘the unexpected accident’,
Why there were inside explosions,
Why the Japanese government passively conducted investigation to probe the truth where more than 5,000 civilians had died.

The bereaved families of the victims of Ukishima vessel requested apology and compensation by the Japanese government. They partially won the first trial, but lost in the subsequent appeal and the final appeal.

Now we request the international community to conduct investigation to probe the truth.

First, the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC) should investigate the actual conditions in regard to the genocide of civilians of forced conscription that Japan intends to hide.

Second, the UNHRC should conduct investigation to probe the truth of the Ukishima incident.

https://chng.it/7jWSMg56Rr

Have you heard of the Humboldt Forum?

The Humboldt Forum is a museum that will open in 2020. It was created with the intent of breaking the conventions of colonialism to otherize non-Western cultures and to dominate academic perceptions.

The museum says it will showcase relics from non-European continents and countries such as Africa, America, and Asia, with intense reflection on the past colonialism.

We would like to ask the Humboldt Forum.

What kind of exhibition could express your reflection on colonialism and imperialism at your museum?

The Korean Pavilion is only one-tenth the size of the Chinese and Japanese Pavilion, and while the Chinese and Japanese Pavilion exhibit thousands of artifacts, the Korean Pavilion only accounts for 100.

In addition, the curator in charge of the exhibition at the Humboldt Forum’s Korean Pavilion said, “At that time, Germans thought Joseon was a Chinese colony, so they did not pay much attention to the heritages of Joseon. That’s why there are no Korean heritages in the Forum.”

The curator follows the logic of Imperialist Japan to justify Korean colonial rule with prejudice against Korean culture.

After all, is the Humboldt Forum trying to display an exhibition that focuses on the culture of imperialism and preaches the logic of imperialism?

Are you trying to intend to divide the superiority of culture with imperialism, treat culture with prejudice, and ultimately justify imperialism?

Do you intend to display an exhibition that forgets that all cultures are sum of the experience and knowledge of a society obtained by responding to its own environment, and that they have their own value and reason to exist?

We request that you look into the reasons to exist and the values of Korean culture with an unbiased eye that can properly embody the spirit of the Humboldt Forum.

It is true that Korea in the 16th century was the Joseon Dynasty, and there was an international order centered on the Qing Dynasty at that time.

However, despite the international order centered on the Qing, Joseon had been actively responding as an independent country, creating a unique and independent culture and history.

King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty invented our own character ‘Hangul’ for Koreans, saying, “Our own words are different from China…”

The time zone of Joseon was different from that of China, and the ‘sundials and water clocks’ were invented to match the time zone of Joseon with King Sejong’s order.

By observing the celestial bodies based on the sky of Seoul, the calendar ‘Chiljeongsan’ that fits our sky was also invented.

Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

Japanese imperialism tried to destroy the culture of the Korean people, but the Korean freedom fighters 100 years ago tried to preserve the originality and creative spirit despite the Japanese imperial repression.

Even in colonial Joseon, there was ‘Ahn Chang-ho’, who took the lead in Korean education, saying, “it is Koreans who will change Korea. Leave it to Koreans themselves, not Japan, to reform Korea.”

There was ‘Jun Hyeong-phil’ who collected Korean heritages that Japanese imperialism carelessly excavated and damaged by investing all his possessions.

There was ‘Yun Dong-ju’ who wrote down the agony of a colonial intellectual in Hangul..

During the March 1st Movement, there were 2 million unnamed Koreans who resisted Japanese imperialism.

We would like to ask again.

Is there no culture in Korea that has a meaning to reflect on imperialism and colonialism?

What exhibits are needed to reflect on imperialism and colonialism?

We request the following:

First, Do not interpret Korean history in Chinese and Japanese history, but research and interpret Korean history and culture independently.

Second, for the exhibition of the Korean Pavilion, reflect the research results of Korean historians, and in particular, actively interpret Korean history in accordance with the purpose of the Humboldt Forum.

* 「Recommendation concerning the Protection and Promotion of Museums and Collections, their Diversity and their Role in Society」, 2015
“Member States should encourage museums to actively interpret and disseminate knowledge on collections, monuments and sites within their specific areas of expertise and to organize exhibitions, as appropriate.”

https://chng.it/VZdfd22v8Q

The museum is a French national anthropological museum that mainly exhibits 300,000 artifacts from Asia, America, and Oceania, which is enjoyed by foreigners visiting Paris as well as the Eiffel Tower.

By the way, the museum distorted Korea, which has continued its 5000-year history and splendid culture, into Chinese territory, and installed exhibits that marked the East Sea which Koreans have called for thousands of years, as Sea of Japan,

Most shockingly, the museum rejected the legitimate request of the Korean NGO VANK for pointing out these issues and politely requesting rectification, which hurt many Koreans.

In the case of the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, which has a reputation as the representative museum of human history in France, from an anthropological perspective, they should know how anti-human history conduct it is to mark the territory of one country, which is a symbol of national sovereignty, as the territory of another country to give recognition as a colony.

Besides, the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac should be aware that the East Sea notation to Koreans is not just a matter of sea names, but a matter of human history to recover the name of Korea that was unreasonably stolen during the Japanese occupation. This is because the meaning of place names for Koreans contains the history and identity of Koreans.

When Japan colonized Korea, it made Koreans unable to write and speak Korean language and forced them to use only Japanese. For this reason, changing the notation Sea of Japan into the East Sea for Koreans is to clear up the remnants of Japanese imperialism and to restore the identity of the Korean people.

Therefore, we demand that the Northeast Asia map displayed in the museum divide the part which marks Korea as Chinese territory into Korean territory and Chinese territory, and change the notation ‘Sea of Japan’ in to ‘East Sea.’

https://chng.it/cgY4tMVKRv

Every year, 15 million high school students are wrongly taught of Korean history.

Errors about Korea are neglected in the World History textbooks of the SAT test, which is taken by 2.2 million people worldwide, and the World History textbook of the AP test, which is taken by 300,000 people every year in the United States.

The SAT World History textbooks published by Kaplan, Barron’s and Princeton Review misrepresents the history and geography of Korea.

Typical errors are as follows: “The Tang dominated Korea.”, “In the mid-seventh century, the Silla dynasty drove out the Han and controlled the entire Korean Peninsula.”

Despite the existence of independent states on the Korean Peninsula, the maps of the Han Dynasty and the Mongolian Empire used in textbooks contain errors of including the Korean Peninsula on these maps.

Even in the most recent World History Prep textbook published in 2019, the first sentence that describes Korea is “The Allied victory over Japan in the Second World War brought an end to Japanese colonial rule over Korea, which had been formally established in 1910.” And There is no explanation of Gojoseon ~ Korean Empire throughout the book.

Various errors are neglected in AP textbooks as well as SAT textbooks.

The AP World History textbooks published by Princeton Review, McGraw-Hill, and Barron’s misrepresent the history of Korea.

Typical errors are: “In 668, the Chinese withdrew from Korea in exchange for an arrangement that made the Silla vassals of the Tang and required them to pay tribute. After the Tang withdrew, the Silla united Korea.”, “Under Emperor Xuanzong, the T’ang expanded Chinese territory into parts of Korea.”, “Korea had its own independent and powerful dynasty, but in order to maintain the appearance of cordial relations with their powerful Chinese neighbors, the Koreans became a vassal-state of the T’ang.”, “In 1876, Korea realized China was weak and declared its independence.”

One textbook even states that Hangul, the unique characters of Korea, is derived from Chinese ideograms.

These examples are all obvious errors related to Korea that have been described as facts in SAT and AP textbooks for many years.

Although many errors about Korea have been neglected, they have not been corrected for years.

If such biased and misleading statements about Korea in textbooks that are taught to American high school students and to students who want to go to college in the United States continue to be neglected in the future, it will result in terrible outcome to the identity of the Korean Americans of the future generation.

Moreover, it may harm the coexistence and mutual respect of many ethnic groups and races in American society, and may lead to misunderstandings about Korean Americans and their history.

We believe that the College Board and SAT, AP publishers are responsible for the problems mentioned above.

Accordingly, We VANK request the College Board and SAT, AP textbook publishers to review the errors related to Korea and verify facts based on reliable information, correct the errors actively.

https://chng.it/k8Fs87gFMP

Have you heard of Republic of Korea’s marine resource Sector 7, which may be lost in our apathy?

In 1968, the sector was investigated by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea that “it is likely to have the world’s richest petroleum resources. However, the exploration and development have been suspended until now due to Japan’s refusal to develop a joint development treaty with Japan.

However, experts poinot out that when the treaty ends in 2028, it is highly likely that more than 90% of the Sector 7 will be owned by Japan, and then Japan will independently develop the marine resources. In this situation, the Chinese government is also claiming ownership of the Sector 7.

We must gather the public’s interest in Korea’s maritime resources and ask for the support and cooperation of people around the world.

Based on this, we must ask the Japanese government to comply with the treaty and to build experiences of cooperation and peace together.

Accordingly, VANK initiates a Global Petition for the implementation of the Japanese government’s compliance of the treaty on the Sector 7.

https://chng.it/kVSBrD2Zz4

VANK is promoting a global campaign to recover Korean cultural heritages that were illegally smuggled out during the Japanese occupation period.

According to the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage(NRICH) Korea, it is estimated that there are about 172,000 cultural assets that have been taken out overseas.

Among them, with the exception of diplomacy, trade, and gift, about 30,000 pieces of cultural assets are believed to be illicitly stolen.

First of all, VANK would like to publicize the issue of the “Ogura Collection” , displayed in the Asian Gallery of Tokyo National Museum, which is notorious for being an illegal stolen cultural assets.

The reason VANK is launching a global campaign for the retrieval of cultural properties from overseas is to spread international public opinion on cultural assets that were smuggled out and to develop the issue of looted cultural properties into a global issue.

Through this petition, VANK hopes to raise awareness of the problem of smuggled out cultural properties around the world, and to raise awareness of the governments and citizens of countries that stole cultural properties in the past will return the treasures they brought from Korea.

https://chng.it/cmDSgNsVJr

The Chinese government’s elongation of the Great Wall is worsening as years go by.

The National Administration of Cultural Heritage(国家文物局) had announced the length of the Great wall as 6,000 km in the mid 2000s and as 8,851 km in 2009, and then extended it to 21,196.18 km in 2012.

Even as of 2020, China is distortedly promoting worldwide that the Great Wall had extended to Pyongyang of the Korean peninsula.

The fortresses of the Goguryeo Kingdom(37 B.C.E. – C.E. 668) and Balhae Kingdom(C.E. 698 – 926) from Korean history is now being included in the Great Wall of China.

The Chinese government has been making a distorted claim that, based on the current border, all fortresses within its territory are parts of the Great Wall of China, and through this, China is trying to make Goguryeo and Balhae into Chinese history.

Once the project to expand China’s history and geographic boundaries, including extending the length of the Great Wall, is completed, China will justify its invasion of foreign territories, which will serve as a momentum to expand its hegemony into neighboring countries.

Accordingly, VANK intends to create “World Peace” by notifying the world about China’s history distortion.

https://chng.it/xPsVh8Q4Kr

On the information board of the cultural heritage site in front of the Gwanggaeto Stele in Jian City, Jilin Province, China describes it incorrectly as “The monument of the Chinese nation(Zhonoghua Minzu)”.

Likewise, China has been promoting to the world that “the history of Goguryeo belongs to China”, also known as the Northeast Project.

The Northeast Project is a major research project promoted by Chinese government in 2002-2007 to turn all the history that took place within the Chinese border into Chinese history. Even though this project ended in 2007, the operation to impute the history of Goguryeo as to one of Chinese ethnic minorities or China’s history is now ongoing. The project distorted Goguryeo-era territories into Chinese lands in maps of major world history textbooks, museums and historical sites around the world.

VANK informs the world of China’s history distortion, and tells the world of the reality of the Northeast Project.

VANK aims to stop historic and territorial hegemony of China with people around the world through a Global Petition.

https://chng.it/WzrSVZjkjH

VANK is in progress with a Global petition to inform UNESCO member states around the world about the issue of the largest bronze ware remains on the Korean peninsula concealed under the Legoland development.

Could the international society admit it if Stonehenge of the United Kingdom, Parthenon of Greece, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Colosseum of Rome were demolished to make way for a Legoland?

The Legoland is being built after demolishing a Jungdo historic site, one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in the Republic of Korea. The Total amount of relics that have been excavated so far is 9,000 prehistoric relics, 1,266 prehistoric house sites, and 149 prehistoric tombs. The Jungdo heritage site in Republic of Korea is one of the most remarkable prehistoric site in the world. Damage to culturla property belonging to any people whatsoever means damage to the cultural heritage of all mankind, since each people makes its contribution to the culture of the world. If the construction of the Legoland is continued, therefore, the world-class prehistoric relics that have not been found yet will be destroyed without excavation.

The culture and beliefs of humankind in the Jungdo site are deliberately destroyed by the short-sighted development policy, and we are on the verge of losing the important opportunity to see, hear, and learn about expression and ideas of humankind. The international community recognizes the importance of the protection of cultural heritage and takes responsibility to fight against its intentional destruction in any form so that such cultural heritage may be transmitted to the succeeding generations. According to the UNESCO Declaration concerning the International Destruction of Cultural HEritage, the members of UNESCO should cooperate with each other and with UNESCO to protect cultural heritage from international destruction.

Accordingly, VANK is proceeding with a Global Petition for UNESCO headquarters and UNESCO member states around the world.

https://chng.it/6JqYTR898S

The U.S. CIA was established as an agency directly under the President of the United States in accordance with the National Security Act in 1947 after the World War Ⅱ, to collect information at the national level, and collects, analyzes, and reports information about foreign governments, businesses, and key people, and then reports it to each department of the U.S. government. The problem is that the basic information about Korea is incorrect on the U.S. CIA website, which emphasizes global credibility and accuracy.

The CIA marked the East Sea as the Sea of Japan alone, and Dokdo as Liancourt Rocks, and Dokdo/Takeshima in the description. Liancourt Rocks is a name that Japan promotes to third countries in order not to recognize Korea’s ownership of Dokdo and is derived from the French Whaling ship which discovered Dokdo in 1849. This is not the only error about Korea on the CIA web site. Even though Ulleung island’s jurisdiction is on North Gyeongsangbuk-do, the CIA is introducing it’s jurisdiction belongs to Gangwon-do, and it introduces Korean and English as Korea’s official language.

https://chng.it/zvjjkJfpmY

Due to the COVID-19, the world’s attention is focused on the WHO. Not only worldwide broadcasts and media, but each country’s authorities, educational institutions, and portal sites are also focusing on the WHO’s realtime data of the COVID-19. WHO, an international organization that is obliged to provide right information to the world, is providing wrong information regarding Korean territory Ulleung Island and Dokdo Island.

On the ‘Countries – Republic of Korea’ page of the WHO web site, Ulleung Island and Dokdo Island are missing on the map of Korea. However, on the page introducing Japan, the map includes Korea’s Ulleung Island and Dokdo Island. The map of Japan includes Japanese islands in detail(including many islands on the Pacific ocean, but on the other hand, Korea’s Ulleung Island and Dokdo Island of the East Sea being excluded on the map of Korea is deemed intentional.

If the WHO neglects this inaccurate map on the web site, it might provide distorted information about Korean territory Ulleung Island and Dokdo Island as Japanese territory to the people from all around the world who visit the web site to search for the information about the COVID-19. Accordingly, VANK launches a global petition campaign to correct distorted information on WHO web site.

https://chng.it/GfzFgTBFbM

In the Olympic Museum that opened on September 14th, 2019, colonial Joseon-born marathoner Olympic gold medalist Sohn Kee-chung and bronze medalist Nam Sung-yong are simply represented by their Japanese name and Japanese nationality even though 75 years have passed after the end of Japanese imperialism.

In response, we request the Japan Olympic Museum to correct the information of athletes Sohn Kee-chung and Nam Sung-yong.

This is not damaging Japan’s Olympic record and history.

It is a request to understand and sympathize the pain and disgrace experienced by the athletes who had lost their country, and to find the true history of the athletes’ own country and name. We hope the Olympic Spirit that the Olympic Museum seeks to realize is not a hollow will. Please do not forget that friendship, solidarity, and peace are feasible when there is understanding, empathy, and consideration for the surroundings. We ask the Olympic Museum and the Japanese Olympic Committee to truly practice the Olympic Spirit as a host country.

https://chng.it/MsgLqJNgsd

VANK is in progress with a Global Petition to inform the international community about the reality of the Japanese government that has distorted history of forced labor by Koreans in the Report of Warship island (also known as Hashima island) submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

In 2015, upon Japan’s registration of the Hashima island and 22 other Meiji modern industrial facilities in Japan to the UNESCO World Heritage committee, Japan has committed that they are ready to take steps to let people understand that in the 1940s during World War Ⅱ in several facilities, many Koreans and people from other countries were drawn against their will and forced to work in harsh environments. Accordingly, UNESCO advised that Japan prepare and faithfully execute an interpretation strategy to let people understand the entire history of each facility. However, the Japanese government is ignoring the recommendations of UNESCO and does not include measures to honor the victims or recognize forced labor of Koreans. In response, VANK seeks to disclose the Japanese government for utterly disregarding UNESCO’s recommendations and commitments made to the international community, and to inform the international community that UNESCO, which neglects irresponsibility for the Japanese government that ignores UNESCO’s recommendations, also has a problem.

https://chng.it/7RTy2bTL5d

VANK is in progress with a Global Petition calling for attention from the world over the distortion of textbooks by the Japanese government that started from 2020.

The Japanese government is spreading militarism to the Japanese youth through textbooks that glorify the war of aggression. In 2017, Japan’s Abe administration made a decision (upon by the Cabinet) to use the ‘Imperial Rescript on Education’, a symbol of militaristic education, as a school textbook, emphasizing loyalty to the Japanese Emperor. The content that denies the history of Japanese imperialist aggression is reflected in the textbooks starting from primary school textbooks in 2020, middle school textbooks in 2021, and high school textbooks in 2022. Representatively, the Japanese elementary school textbook, Nihon Bunkyo Publishing, 6th grade textbook denied the history of imperialist aggression by introducing that “the Russo-Japanese War gave people awareness and hope for independence in various Asian countries.” And also, the Tokyo Shoseki(a textbook company) published in the 6th grade textbook that “there was an incident where a large number of Koreans and Chinese were murdered in the Great Kanto Earthquake“, and a historical distortion was made that did not clearly reveal the subject of the incident.

Even the Tsukamoto kindergartners in Osaka, supported by the administration, prepare to sacrifice their lives for the Emperor while memorizing educational rules, a symbol of militarism. The Abe’s administration trains kindergarteners as militarist subjects who prepare for confrontation and war.

Distorted history textbooks teach war to the next generation of Japan. In response, VANK is launching a petition on the world’s largest petition site to urge Japan’s Abe administration to stop intervening in history education and to revise distorted textbook narratives in order to properly inform the international community of Japan’s reviving militarism.