Я стал получать ежедневно десятки писем (большей частью копий, подписных писем), касающихся, в конечном счете, интерпретации происхождения и истории Когурё, древнекорейского племенного образования (государства?), некогда существовавшего в северной части Корейского полуострова и прилегающей части Китая. Подумал, может, кому-нибудь из не-специалистов будет интересно почитать.
№1.
Dear ______. ( all of academics and researchers, UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage Committee )
I am a student and a member of VANK living in South Korea. VANK is a non-governmental organization and also a voluntary organization. VANK consists of elementary, middle and high school students who provide correct information about Korea to international textbook publishing companies and publishers.
In particular, I would like to let you know about the Chinese scheme to alter the history of Goguryeo (BC 37-AD 668 ), a Korean kingdom with a vast territory ranging from the northern part of the peninsula to Manchuria, into that of a Chinese regional kingdom.
The Chinese government launched the project in February 2002, the Northeast Asian Project, to study the history of the area northeast of ancient China under the auspices of its social and scientific academy with a budget of 3 trillion won, US$2 billion, igniting fears that it was trying to strengthen its political influence in Northeast Asia.
Through the project, China is seeking to incorporate the ancient Korean kingdom into a Chinese historical timeline, even claiming that the people of Goguryeo originated from the Chinese ``han’’ tribe.
Consequently, China is trying to rob 700 years of Korean history, which could seriously damage Korea’s roots and heritage.
Throughout 5,000 history of Korea, Goguryeo is meaningful, and Significant to all Korean.
A leading power during the Three Kingdoms period, Goguryeo occupied the present territory of North Korea and also held sway over the vast Manchurian region for some 700 years until the late 7th century AD. By the 4th century, Goguryeo had been firmly established as a powerful kingdom and frequently clashed with China, while successfully containing its southern rivals
When China obstructed a North Korean effort to put Goguryeo tombs on the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Cultural Heritage, the Chinese government expressed its scheme to uproot the existence of Korean history within its current borders in July 2003
Furthermore, the Chinese academics and researchers hope to have the Goguryeo tomb murals in Ji'an declared a World Heritage Site during a UNESCO meeting in Suzhou next June 2004, preparing an enormous amount of data to support its case.
The seriousness of the situation lies in the fact that the Chinese government is taking the initiative in distorting history, making its political intentions clear. It seems obvious that the Chinese scheme under the name of the "Northeast Asia Project" is aimed at providing historical backup to Beijing's political concerns over the potential instability among the Korean-Chinese following Korean unification. The increasing number of North Korean defectors crossing the porous border into China in recent years is already causing problems to Chinese security and diplomatic authorities.
If you studied world history you would see how serious problems could arise when a government take the initiative in distorting history, making its political intentions.
So We would like to let all of academics and researchers know about the Chinese scheme to cancel its plans to incorporate Korea' Goguryeo into china' history.
We, VANK , warn the Chinese academics and researchers that the the Northeast Asian Project would pose a great obstacle to amicable relations between all the family of Asia and China in the 21st century.
If you plan to study about Goguryeo between Korea and China or if you plan to recommand our movement to your colleague, companion, and history scholar, please contact to VANK.
We have detailed educational and comprehensive data regarding Korean Goguryeo history and culture, as well as digital pictures, which are all collected by VANK members (10,000 elementary, middle and high school voluntary student members). And we can provide you with this information willingly by post or internet without any cost.
※ → Korea history
http://www.prkorea.com/history/history.html※ → Korean Goguryeo history
http://www.prkorea.com/history/history1.html※ → Truth in scholarship
http://www.prkorea.com/english/textbook/maintruth.html VANK’s desires are that students all over the world can experience correct Korean history and culture by our voluntary effort, taking this opportunity and then sharing dreams and friendship with the rest of the world.
Sincerely yours.
* Contact to VANK
605 ho Immanuel Building 372-49, 3-dong Sindang Jung-gu Seoul, S.KOREA
TEL. 82-2-2237-7407 FAX. 82-2-2237-7409
email:
[email protected]http://www.prkorea.org VANK stands for - ‘Voluntary Agency Network of Korea’, a civilian international exchange association in Korea. We work for the promotion of Korea's image all over the world by Internet. VANK was established in 1999 by volunteers, and now has over 12,000 members. Using email or internet we serve as cyber travel guides to overseas Koreans and foreigners so that they can understand Korean culture and language better, and at the same time we hope we build international friendships. VANK is a great chance for those who are interested in Korean language, arts, cultural education, history, geography, social studies, sciences to learn about our country, and we also welcome with open arms anyone just wanting to make Korean friends!
№2.
We Koreans are deeply concerned about China's bid to put Koguryo ruins including tomb murals in its territory on the World Heritage List since we have reasonable doubts on China's political intention for the bid. We do not oppose the historical value of the remains or the application itself. We were so disappointed when North Korea's bid for its Koguryo tomb murals in North Korea was put on hold in the 27th session of the World Heritage Committee by Chinese objection. Just a few years later, China is pushing its own bid on the similar Koguryo burial sites and murals in northeastern Chinese border cities. We can hardly believe that China has no other designs beyond the preservation and protection of the historic sites, which both North and South Koreans regard as their spiritual symbol as well as the origin of national identity.
Koguryo heritage in northeastern China has not been paid any attention or proper care and has completely been abandoned until January, 2003 when China registered the application for Koguryo ruins including tomb murals in cities in Northeast Asia. China has been severely neglected the Koguryo burial sites in its territory for a long time. Several murals have been stolen since 1966, and from 1997 to 2002 tomb murals of the Koguryo Kingdom in Jian, China, were reportedly stolen by grave robbers. We question at this point: Why has China changed its attitudes dramatically? We point out that between the period of this series of China's sudden attitude changes, there is the "Northeast Area Project," a five-year government research program launched in 2002 which includes a several suspicious lines of distorting historical facts.
The Chinese have been insisting since 1993 that the histories of all ethnic groups within their current border as part of their national history. In February 2002, the NAP officially started to create its own definition of national history. This China's self definition on national history has provided the ideological framework for China's policies of merging of ethnic minorities from its cold years to the recent. Now China, in the NAP, is trying to expand the same framework to histories of all ethnic groups including two countries, North and South Korea, in Northeast Asia in order to strengthen its political influence in the area. According to the five recent papers on the issue in question released by the NAP, China focuses on proving the lack of continuity between Koguryo and the current States of the Korean peninsula. The arguments are summarized into two points: Koguryo originated from China's tribe and current Koreans have no connection to the ancient kingdom.
What we concern is: first, there is a clear conspiracy in the project that China is trying to revise the history of Koguryo as its own, which is an obvious history distortion, based on not-proven its own theory. Secondly, all the events from China's interference with North Korea's bid to its own bid have deeply rooted in China's history revision plan. What China pursues in the win of the bid is "successful claiming Koguryo," not just for the preservation of the sites or reconstruction. We remind you that China's possible history distortion is not merely a matter of a scientific dispute in Northeast Asia. It will seriously affect boundary and territorial disputes following the possible collapse of the North Korea.
We agree that the purpose of the World Heritage List is to protect cultural heritage for mankind as a whole and we don't deny China's right to bid for designation because although Koguryo's remains have been the land of our ancestors, it is now in China's territory. However, it is also true that Koguryo is the old kingdom of both North and South Koreans. It is not just a theory, but an acknowledged fact for centuries by historians. That's why we also have a right to speak for the destiny of the ruins in China. Moreover, in this dispute between past and reality, we both may concur on one aspect: Koguryo's heritage must be preserved and protected.
Thus, we call on you to defer your decision on China's application until China, North and South Korea agree on proper terms to prevent China's possible trial of history distortion or to give China a chance to clear the conspiracy. We again remind you that China's winning the bid without any strict terms will provide China the best condition to "claim Koguryo," which is just the beginning of further history distortion, and that may cause a great political chaos in Northeast Asia. The terms should include:
(1) China must clearly specify Koguryo is an old kingdom of present Koreans in North and South Korea. (2) China must allow Korean scholars' full access to the sites that is completely limited now. Until recently Korean scholars have kept being denied access to Koguryo ruins as well as a museum opened to the public. We have a right to pursue a research on the remains of our ancestors. (3) In the long term, it is worthwhile to pursue a joint research project among China, North and South Korea.
Secondly we call for the immediate adoption of strict and detailed plans to monitor China's any trial of history distortion in the area under the supervision of multinational personnel.
Finally, we call on you to adopt a letter including North and South Korea, which are the two countries concerned with this issue, into members of the ICOMOS.
We appreciate China for its current efforts and interests in the symbol of our national identity, the Koguryo heritage sites. However, we also urge that China must stop further cultural assault on Koreans by trying to distorting our history. We know that the ICOMOS has been working so hard to preserve and protect the world heritage sites, and you deserve admiration from the world. We sincerely ask you to remind one more thing: the preservation and protection of the ancient ruins are not merely for the disappearing objects. Dear members of the Committee. Please remember that the purpose of the World Heritage List is also for the preservation and protection of the spirit itself buried in the objects. Koguryo ruins don't speak, but we Koreans hear the voice from the past now.
Respectfully,
박성현입니다