September 9, 2004
Mobile phones to fight revisionist history in South Korea
This story in The Korea Times is doubly interesting. First of all because a mobile scheme - which appears to be initiated by the South Korean government - is attempting to correct - through text messages - a revisionist version of history spread by China, and secondly, because their also launching a mobile fund raising campaign to do so.
"KTF, Korea's second-largest mobile phone operator, announced Thursday that it will launch the «Koguryo charging system», allowing its customers to automatically donate money to a fund for securing Koguryo as part of Korean history.
"The service will begin next Monday. Those who subscribe to this new fee system will automatically donate 500 won a month for three years to domestic organizations that work on preserving Koguryo's history, including the Koguryo Research Institute, until 2007 August.
This gesture comes amid a growing consensus among Koreans over consolidating efforts into correcting China's distortion of the history of Koguryo, commonly viewed as one of three kingdoms that later formed modern Korea".
KTF will also provide mobile contents called “Sons of Koguryo” to their wireless Internet service magic. The contents will consist of news on China's distortion of Koguryo history, a discussion channel and a place to write one's opinion about the Koguryo history distortion. "
China's attempted revision of ancient history to claim the Koguryo kingdom as its own has raised concerns in Korea, affecting relations between the two countries. The South Korean government loudly protested recent moves by China to assimilate the history of Koguryo, but the issue has not been completely settled yet.
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2004/09/005260.htm
