[비즈한국] It has been confirmed that books used as textbooks by the far-right history education group 'Re-Park School' are still being stocked in some public libraries in Seoul. While the Office of Education has ordered the withdrawal of these books due to historical distortion, they remain neglected in children's library sections and youth corners of district-run libraries. The books have sparked controversy for glorifying former President Syngman Rhee and labeling the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident as a rebellion.
On the 1st, at the Gwanak Central Library in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, ‘The Story of Syngman Rhee, the Founding President, Told by Mom’ was found on a shelf in the children's section containing history-related books. According to a library official, the book was recently added as a new acquisition.
The same book was also found in the children's corner of the Seocho 1-dong Small Library in Seocho-gu. It also appeared normally in the library's catalog search. Looking at the borrowing history of Seocho District libraries, it was found that the book had actually been borrowed by users aged 10 and under as well as teenagers.
At the Dobong Library, which is affiliated with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, a message stating ‘Reservation successful’ appeared after logging in and requesting a reservation, and the status in the reservation list changed to ‘reserved.’ On the library website, the book was introduced as follows: ‘A modern and contemporary history book made easy through pictures and photos, a history story told by Mom. Let’s learn about the story of Syngman Rhee, the founding president of the Republic of Korea, who dedicated his life to the freedom of the people from independence to the nation's founding.’
However, once the investigation began, the library removed the book from its search engine. The Dobong Library side explained, “Because it is a problematic book, the main office of the Office of Education has ordered it to be discarded,” adding, “It is scheduled to be removed from the collection this year, and while it was originally blocked from appearing in searches, it was briefly exposed due to an error.”
As of this day, among the district-run libraries in Seoul, there were a total of 8 libraries across 6 autonomous districts—Dobong-gu, Gwanak-gu, Dongjak-gu, Geumcheon-gu, Gangnam-gu, and Seocho-gu—where this book could be borrowed. Libraries in Eunpyeong-gu showed the book as unavailable, and other district libraries did not show the book as part of their collection in search results.
At the Dongjak Saemteo Library in Dongjak-gu and the Gaepo Sky Dream Library in Gangnam-gu, the books were currently checked out, with 2 people having placed reservations at each. The Sandol Children’s Small Library in Geumcheon-gu indicated the book was in transit between libraries.
‘The Story of Syngman Rhee, the Founding President, Told by Mom’ was used as a textbook for the Re-Park School Neulbom instructor program. It emphasizes former President Syngman Rhee as the ‘founding president’ and focuses on his achievements, but has been criticized for failing to adequately address his dictatorship and long-term rule, or for glorifying him. It has also been pointed out that the book presents biased accounts of events that have already been historically and legally settled, such as labeling the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident as a rebellion.
In response, the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS) restricted the search and borrowing of the book from the Research Information Service System (RISS), as it had been used as a textbook for Re-Park School courses. The inter-library loan service, which supports book borrowing and document copying for over 600 academic research institutions nationwide, including university libraries, has also restricted inter-library loans for these books. The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education and the Jeollanam-do Office of Education also began the process of discarding these books held by schools and public libraries last year. The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education also issued an official apology from the superintendent and recalled the books after confirming that they were stocked in school and public libraries under its jurisdiction.
Pai Chai High School, which was caught up in a controversy over supporting the disparagement of the 5·18 Democratization Movement, was also criticized after it was revealed that it held 41 copies of ‘The Story of Syngman Rhee, the Founding President, Told by Mom.’ Among 94 elementary, middle, and high schools in Seoul that held the book, it had the largest quantity.
The public library 'requested book' system operates by allowing users to request books they want, which the library then reviews based on internal criteria to decide whether to purchase. However, those in the field say it is difficult to filter out all controversial books at the request stage. Usually, if a book was published within the last 3 years and there are no clear reasons for exclusion—such as personal craft books, workbooks, or writing practice books—the grounds for refusing a purchase are limited.
When a controversy is identified after the purchase, follow-up measures such as discarding the book or restricting borrowing are considered. While the book could be excluded from purchase if the problem is identified in advance, officials explain that it is not easy to make such judgments on the ground because refusing a requested book without clear standards can lead to user complaints.
An official at the Gwanak Central Library stated, “Even for books by authors who have become socially controversial due to incidents like sexual harassment, we proceed with removal from the collection if confirmed through news reports. There are cases where books we missed or restricted are released back into the system due to technical errors, so we plan to take action on these books again.” The Seocho 1-dong Small Library was found to have removed the book from its shelves following the inquiry.