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Scholars demand President Lee take a clear stance on pseudohistorical book

Published: 18 Dec. 2025, 18:17

YOON SO-YEON
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A copy of the controversial pseudohistorical book ″Hwandan Gogi″ (1979) is seen on the bookshelf of a major bookstore in Seoul on Dec. 14. [NEWS1]

President Lee Jae Myung's reference to a pseudohistorical book, the "Hwandan Gogi" (1979), in a recent policy briefing has stirred a heated reaction from academia, demanding that the government take a clear stance on historical accuracy.

On Dec. 12, Lee asked the Northeast Asian History Foundation President, Park Ji-hyang, how the foundation was handling the debates surrounding the "Hwandan Gogi" and Park's opinion on the book. His remark was met with criticism from historians and academic associations for providing a public forum to an "ungrounded and nonsensical opinion."

The "Hwandan Gogi" was written by pseudohistorian Lee Yu-lip, who was born in 1907 and died in 1986. Lee, who founded his own religion, Taebaek, claimed the book was originally compiled in 1911 by a person named Gye Yeon-su.

Mainstream historians have severely criticized the book for arguments that run counter to established historical accounts. For instance, the book argues that a nation named Hwan — or Hwanguk — existed before the already-known first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon (2333 B.C. to 108 B.C.), founded by Dangun, and that it was so large that it spanned all of Eurasia, including Siberia and Central Asia.

The book goes on to argue that Hwanguk — a name meaning it was founded by Hwanin, a god from Korea's founding myth — was the first nation founded by humans and became the root culture of all civilization.

Although the book fails to provide substantive evidence of its arguments, it still has its handful of fervent believers, derogatorily called "hwanppa." Historians argue that the "Hwandan Gogi" gained popularity in the early 1900s when the Korean Peninsula was under the colonial rule of imperial Japan (1910-1945) and was in dire need of a sense of dominance and power. The book has also been criticized by experts as being used by far-right historians to justify Japanese colonial rule.

A page of the controversial pseudohistorical book ″Hwandan Gogi″ (1979) shows how the ancient nation of Hwan, or Hwanguk, ruled much of Eurasia and North America as the first nation founded by humans. The picture was taken on Dec. 14, in a bookstore in Seoul. [NEWS1]

It was in this context that President Lee's remark came under fire. His supporters argue that Lee was trying to elicit a response from Park, who was appointed as the chief of the Northeast Asian History Foundation in 2023 during the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, that the "Hwandan Gogi" is not an official historical record and that the far-right perception of history is also ungrounded.

On the other hand, the opposition slammed Lee for mentioning an inaccurate account of history and bringing it into the public light. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok criticized his comment as "an attempt to twist Korean history and rewrite it based on their preference."

A coalition of 48 associations of historians and archaeologists in Korea released a joint statement on Wednesday, demanding that Lee make a clear stance on his historical views and draw a line with pseudohistory.

"The pseudohistory behind the 'Hwandan Gogi,' which is clearly wrong, is as ungrounded and nonsensical as the conspiracy theory about illegal voting," read the statement. "There is no academic debate between academia and ungrounded pseudohistory. The presidential office must make a clear stance on the president's ambiguous words and his intentions behind them."

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a policy briefing held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Dec. 18. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Northeast Asian History Foundation President, Park Ji-hyang, answers questions from lawmakers during a parliamentary audit held at the National Assembly, western Seoul, on Oct. 16. [YONHAP]

BY YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]