Translation of French-German history textbook published

By Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- A Korean-language edition of a history textbook co-produced by France and Germany was published on Friday amid recent moves by South Korean scholars to publish a similar Asian history textbook, officials said.

The first transnational history textbook actually being used in French and German classrooms was published in its original edition in July 2006.

The translation "will be able to offer Asians a benchmark for writing common history textbooks in the region," said Kim Min-gyu, a researcher at the Northeast Asian History Foundation.

The publication of the translation came amid recent moves by scholars in South
Korea and other Asian countries to publish a school textbook acceptable to all in
the region.
Japan has been in conflict with the two Koreas, China and other Asian countries
for apparently attempting to whitewash its colonial and militaristic past in its
school textbooks. Japan's failure to atone for its 20th century atrocities has
drawn sharp criticism from its neighbors.
The newly published book is the world's first translation of "History: Europe and
the World since 1945," the first in a three-volume series.
In June this year, the second book, "History: Europe and the World from the
Congress of Vienna to 1945," was published in France and Germany. The last book,
covering antiquity to 1815, will be published in 2010, officials said.
A translation of the other two books into Korean is not scheduled, officials said.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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