No Left or Right in Sovereignty Defense

'She underestimated me, thinking I'd be an easy target because I'm small and have spent my life in academia. If only I had been suspended, I would have left long ago. I had to protect the 20 employees who faced disciplinary action because of me. I decided to fight.' Park Ji-hyang, chairperson of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, who was suspended from duty over a dispute with the president about *Hwandan Gogi* and has since returned to her post, has become a 'fighter' during this period. She plans to file an abuse-of-authority lawsuit against the Ministry of Education minister, who is pushing to dismiss her despite a court ruling. 'Dismissal? I hope it doesn't come to a trial to revoke the dismissal, given that the president is the appointing authority,' she said. As a leading authority in British history, she added, 'I'm going through the most painful days of my life.' ◇ Abuse of Authority by the Ministry of Education Minister - The fight continues despite the court's decision to reinstate her. 'The Ministry of Education sends daily notices to convene the board. They're trying to dismiss me through the board.' - Will the 12 board members agree to the dismissal? 'Eight vice ministers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and other agencies serve as ex-officio board members. Even if the grounds for dismissal lack legal basis, they'll make political judgments out of fear of the administration.' - She warned of filing an abuse-of-authority lawsuit against Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin. 'The minister is pressuring by setting the board date. It's the chairperson's authority to decide the time and place of the board meeting.' - Do you see the December 2025 dispute with President Lee Jae Myung over *Hwandan Gogi* as the cause? 'I can't think of any other reason.' - The Ministry of Education claims it was an audit following a National Assembly inquiry. 'The Dokdo field trip they criticized occurred in September 2024. In October 2024, a Democratic Party lawmaker raised a correction request during a national audit, which was resolved. Then, after a year of silence, the Ministry of Education launched an investigation three days after a work report, when public outrage over the *Hwandan Gogi* dispute erupted.' - They claim it was 'budget misuse.' 'The trip was organized by history-related institution heads, including myself, the head of the National Institute of Korean History, the head of the Academy of Korean Studies, and the head of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, to discuss Dokdo's reality. Why is using the 'Ulleungdo-Dokdo Interdisciplinary Research' budget for this considered misuse? This is absurd.' - Did they dig up old audit records to find a pretext? 'As lawmaker Park Jeong-hoon pointed out, the investigation was led not by the Ministry of Education's audit office but by the Northeast Asia History Response Team, which oversees our foundation. Since it couldn't be framed as an 'audit,' they proceeded with an 'investigation.' The Ministry of Education hasn't disclosed the names of the committee members who labeled the Dokdo trip as budget misuse.' ◇ The 'Hwandan Gogi' Offense - Why did the president suddenly bring up *Hwandan Gogi*? 'Many in Korea, a nation with strong nationalism, are drawn to *Hwandan Gogi*. I've received many petitions not to dismiss it as a forgery, claiming it describes Gojoseon's dominance over parts of the Chinese continent.' - Was this an unexpected question? 'Not at all. I went to report on our foundation's work, like defending Dokdo, but the president only talked about *Hwandan Gogi*. I worried he might be overly influenced by it.' - Is *Hwandan Gogi* a forgery? 'I respect the opinions of ancient history scholars. I can only follow logic and research based on historical records and literature.' - The president asked, 'Isn't *Hwandan Gogi* a historical text?' 'Not everything written down is a historical text, and not all history records facts.' - What if we properly debate ancient history as the president suggested? 'Soon after this president took office, the National Planning Committee proposed a debate with fringe historians. However, seven debates between 2015 and 2017 already concluded that ancient history scholars couldn't engage with them.' - Some view *Hwandan Gogi* as a 'Korean-style Northeast Project.' 'It's an issue that could escalate into a diplomatic problem. I still can't understand why the president, who prioritizes relations with China, emphasized *Hwandan Gogi*.' - Some say the president wanted to humiliate Park, appointed by the previous administration, to install a favored figure. 'I have my suspicions, but I don't wish to discuss it further.' ◇ 'New Right' and *Reexamining the History of the Liberation Period* - Since his time as party leader, the president has criticized Park as a 'New Right' figure. 'I've never been part of the 'New Right.'' - Isn't it because you participated as a writer and editor of *Reexamining the History of the Liberation Period*? 'In 2004, the perception that 'South Korea shouldn't have been born' spread in Korean society. As a historian, I felt it was my duty to correct this. Scholars with similar views united to reinterpret the liberation period from Japanese colonial rule to government establishment. *The Perception of the Liberation Period*, a must-read for the 86 generation, lacked academic rigor and was outdated. New facts and research had emerged, but the public wasn't informed. It needed correction.' - Were you perceived as a New Right scholar because Professor Lee Young-hoon was a lead writer? 'I clearly stated in the preface that individual writers' opinions don't represent our collective responsibility.' - Many see it as a conservative book. 'That's not true. With 28 writers, it includes left-leaning scholars like Professor Kim Cheol and Professor Woo Jeong-eun, the wife of Bruce Cumings. If you asked them if they're New Right, they'd be offended.' - Was a Western historian suitable for the Northeast Asian History Foundation chairperson? 'Is this a Korean history-focused institution? The foundation must view Japanese, Chinese, Russian, American, and European history broadly. My inaugural message was to escape the 'frog in a well' mentality. What's the use of shouting 'Dokdo is ours' among ourselves? Building a global network of pro-Korean scholars who support Dokdo's sovereignty is crucial. This month, marking the foundation's 20th anniversary, we're holding an academic conference in Leiden, the Netherlands, on modern Korean history. We also established the European Network for Korean History (ENKH).' - Why endure the remaining four months of your term if the president disapproves? 'Sovereignty and territorial defense have no left or right. The foundation, which defends Dokdo and counters the Northeast Project, mustn't be swayed by politics. To solidify the foundation's status, I've chosen the difficult path.' ◇ Jang Dong-hyeok and the Conservative Party's Crisis - You were once a Marxist. 'I was poor. I worked part-time daily to pay tuition. I resented the privileged.' - You hated the Yushin regime so much you wished Park Chung-hee's assassination. 'I believed modern Korean history was unjust, so I studied British history, the origin of democracy. My economics professor praised South Korea's economic success, and when I called it a 'dictator's fabrication,' he asked for evidence, leaving me embarrassed. From abroad, 1970s South Korea's growth was dazzling.' - You also said you realized the importance of individuals. 'Studying Western history, I saw how leaders shape nations. Marx's claim that economic structures alone govern the world wasn't true.' - Citing Margaret Thatcher, you said, 'A nation of independent individuals who take responsibility for their lives becomes a true advanced country.' 'Don't blame structures or systems. 1970s Britain was a 'nanny state' where the government cared for citizens from cradle to grave. Thatcher urged individuals to rely on themselves, reforming systems to reward effort. She declared Britain could be great again, overcoming IMF bailouts and union strikes. Even Labour's Peter Mandelson praised, 'We are all Thatcherites now.' Pre- and post-Thatcher Britain are worlds apart.' - You said the UK Conservative Party's vitality lies in constant change, even adopting opposition policies. 'Disraeli pushed pro-labor policies beyond the Liberals. Churchill, though opposed to the 'cradle-to-grave' Beveridge Report, accepted welfare as inevitable. They weren't bound by ideology, only national interest.' - The Korean conservative party faces an unprecedented crisis. 'Conservatism's virtues are governance and unity. Yet South Korea's conservatives have been impeached twice. They've lost governance and are collapsing due to internal division. Without regaining these, there's no hope.' - Is the Jang Dong-hyeok system unworkable? 'As seen with past presidents, those overwhelmed by the role shouldn't hold it. Many conservatives and liberals don't truly understand their ideologies.' - The ruling party is also deeply divided. 'They care only about factional interests and personal gain, exploiting divisions. Trump mimicked Thatcher with 'Make America Great Again' but used hatred to consolidate power. Hitler is the archetype of exploiting anger and hatred. His ghost haunts the world.' - You faced Democratic Party attacks during a National Assembly audit for saying, 'Our citizens are less mature than 1940s Britons.' 'It was a devil's edit. During WWII, hundreds, from scientists to cleaners, secretly decoded Germany's Enigma. They pledged not to reveal their work until the 1980s, and none broke it. I asked if Koreans, deeply divided, could show such patriotism during war.' - Did you explain this to lawmakers? 'I tried, but they wouldn't understand, so I apologized and moved on (laughs).' - As a respected scholar, you're facing hardships in your later years. 'I can't sleep without sleeping pills. I'm only worried about the country.' ☞ Park Ji-hyang Born in 1953 in Seoul, she graduated from Kyunggi Girls' High School and Seoul National University's Western History Department. She earned a master's in British history at the same university and a Ph.D. at Stony Brook State University of New York. She joined Seoul National University as a professor in 1992, served on the National Institute of Korean History and as head of the British History Society. Her books include *Reexamining the History of the Liberation Period*, *The Thatcher Style*, *Winston Churchill, Walking with Destiny*, *The Lifespan of Political Parties*, and *The Dignity of Empire*.