남북한 교과서의 ‘한국전쟁’ 관련 내용 비교 연구

Abstract

Current South Korean textbooks call the “Korean War” the “June 25War”(the day of its initiation in 1950). On the contrary, in North Korea, the expression “Fatherland Liberation War” is used. The “Korean War” is also referred to as the “Joseon War” in Japan, “War to Resist USA aggression and Aid Korea”, and “Korean War” in the English-speaking world. All South Korean textbooks today make it clear that the “June 25 War”was started by North Korea’s invasion and stress that the war continued for no fewer than 3 years, becoming an international war with the participation of United Nations forces and the intervention of mainland Chinese troops. However, explanations on various aspects of the historical incident including political and social situations during the war and international relations surrounding the armistice agreement continue to be insufficient. On the contrary, according to North Korean textbooks, the American and South Korean governments caused the division of the Korean Peninsula and the “Korean War,” invading North Korea. Thanks to the wise leadership of Kim Il-sung, however, the latter successfully ousted the imperialistic invader troops and triumphed in the “Father land Liberation War.” In addition, these textbooks provide explanations that are more detailed than those in South Korean textbooks. North and South Koreans hitherto have promoted explanations of the “Korean War” strictly based on an inflexible logic of good and evil, shifting all blame for the war to the other party. Unless such disparities between the two Koreas in the view of the “Korean War” are bridged, genuine peace and reunification are remote indeed. What must be done, then, is to teach children that war must be avoided as much as possible. By clearly analyzing what happened during the “Korean War” and thus shedding light on the incident and endeavoring to teach the outcome objectively to youngsters in North and South Korea alike, it will be possible to set the foundation for the prevention of such tragedy from recurring.