근대 독본교과서 편찬과 교과서 검정 실시

Abstract

This study compared and analyzed the Reader for Elementary School and the Newly Compiled Textbook for Elementary School to assess how textbook inspection standards were applied in practice, as well as the permissible range and level of content and expression that could be included in textbooks. The most serious issue identified by the Residency- General, which effectively established the textbook screening system, and by the Japanese inspector who led the textbook censorship, was that many textbooks did not meet the screening criteria from a political perspective. One of the textbooks deemed problematic from a political standpoint was the Reader for Elementary School. In the screening copy of this reader, requests for deletion, revision, and rephrasing were primarily focused on sections classified as ethical materials. Specifically, the issues centered on descriptions related to the monarch and the imperial family, patriotism, and the military. Even in chapters classified as history, geography, and daily life—outside of ethics—where the content was not explicitly intended to promote loyalty or patriotism, there were requests to revise or delete terms or expressions related to loyalty, patriotism, independence, and self-reliance. These censorship records provide insight into the direction in which Japan sought to control textbooks and educational content in Korea. Furthermore, by comparing and analyzing units and descriptions on the same or similar topics in the Reader for Elementary School and the Newly Compiled Textbook for Elementary School, it became clearer which textbooks contained numerous ‘problems’ from a political standpoint and the specific screening criteria that led to the Reader for Elementary School not being approved. Although both the Reader for Elementary School and the Newly Compiled Textbook for Elementary School included descriptions of the monarch and the imperial family, the latter addressed them only in two sections— ‘National Foundation Day’ and ‘Emperor’s Birthday’. In contrast, the Reader for Elementary School devoted a significant portion of its content to emphasizing loyalty to the monarch and the royal family. Additionally, the Reader for Elementary School frequently used terms and expressions such as ‘loyalty,’ ‘independence,’ ‘self-reliance,’ and ‘strong military’ to instill in students the importance of the country’s ‘independence’ and ‘self-reliance.’ The inspector ordered the deletion or revision of sections, expressions, and terms that contained political content. However, the Reader for Elementary School ultimately failed to gain approval as a textbook after the screening.