SUWON — The People Power Party caucus in the Gyeonggi Provincial Council on the 23rd demanded that the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education scrap a planned lecture by Hwang Hyun-pil, head of the Institute for Correcting History, saying the event could undermine political neutrality in education. Hwang has been at the center of a dispute over distortion of history.
At a news conference at the provincial council, the party said it was inappropriate for the education office to feature as a guest speaker a figure embroiled in disputes over historical distortion and political bias. Lectures hosted by the education office for teachers, students and parents must be grounded in historical accuracy and educational balance, the party said.
The education office plans to hold its October guest lecture in the "2026 Gyeonggi Education Transformation" series on the 28th, with Hwang as the speaker. The lecture, titled "History as History, Education as Education," is to be held for 500 teachers, students and parents who apply. The office sent notices and official letters to schools at all levels, according to the party.
"If the education office pushes ahead with the lecture knowing about the controversy, it will be tearing down trust in public education by its own hand," the party said, calling for the event to be canceled and for the criteria used to select the speaker to be disclosed. It also urged the office to rigorously examine verification of historical facts, political neutrality and educational suitability when choosing outside speakers in the future.
Hwang has drawn criticism for past remarks suggesting the 1950-53 Korean War was "a war started by the United States." Comments linking the purpose of modern history education to "anti-American consciousness," as well as remarks comparing specific politicians to historical figures, have also come under scrutiny.