뉴스레터

In Northeast Asia's tense international situation pitting the emerging China against the United States in the 21st century, our government is pressing onward with close exchanges with Southeast Asian countries centered on its “New Southern Policy” to look for stable political, economic, and cultural partners. Vietnam occupies an important place in political, economic, and various other fields of Southeast Asia, and shares similar historical experiences with Korea. The Foundation signed an MOU on close academic cooperation and information sharing with the Institute of History of Vietnam's Academy of Social Sciences in Vietnam in May 2017. Under the MOU, the Foundation and the Academy have held international academic conferences twice since last year.

Academic conference held in Vietnam in second half of year

“Powering the Sea: State Governance and Community Attachment in the History of Vietnam and Korea”

Following the academic conference in the first half of the year, “Shaping Nations through Space and Time: Comparison between Vietnam and Korea”, the academic conference in the second half of the year was co-hosted under the theme of “Powering the Sea: State Governance and Community Attachment in the History of Vietnam and Korea” by the Foundation and Vietnams Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) at the academy's Institute of History in Hanoi, Vietnam last December. Composed of three sessions—pre-modern, modern and contemporary, and territory and oceans—the conference was attended by 16 researchers: four speakers, three debaters, and one moderator from each of the two organizations. The December conference proceeded centered on oceans-related content according to the Vietnam organizer's opinion, while the Foundation prepared issues in the pre-modern, modern and contemporary, and territory and oceans sessions and conducted presentations and discussions.

Korea-Vietnam international academic conference seen by session

In the first pre-modern session, researcher Kwon Eun-ju of the Foundation presented several themes that Korea and Vietnam could study together in the field of ancient history, centered on several similar cases among the cultural artifacts and relics of both countries. Vietnam had mainly used Chinese characters before falling under French colonial rule for 70 years (1884-1954), so Vietnam's major historical records, including the history book “Dai Viet su ky toan tu (The Complete Book of Historical Records of Dai Viet)”, were written and compiled in Chinese characters, and Vietnam has more ample historical data than other Southeast Asian countries. Kwon's presentations about Vietnam's tributary trade with China and epigraphs are expected to act as basic research that could help in ascertaining the roots between Korea and Vietnam and several other important historical facts. In the morning session, Nguyen Duc Nhue, deputy director of the Institute of History, made a presentation about administrative districts, including Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, during the reign (1820-41) of Emperor Minh Mang in the Nguyuen Dynasty in the early 19th century. Nguyen raised objections about China that Vietnam is confronting acutely in the region, presenting various grounds that the Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam's territory, centered on various data in Chinese characters compiled in Vietnam in the 19th century.

In the second session themed with modern and contemporary history, Seo Jong-jin, the Foundation's researcher, and Nam Sang-ku, head of the Institute on Korea-Japan Historical Issues, presented their opinions regarding the “history of Japan's invasions”. Criticizing the cultural policies in the period of Taisho, Dr. Seo explained Korea's and Japan's domestic circumstances in relation to Japan's mainland extension policy, adding that the Japanese government had set up southern policies concerning Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, and pushed for several policies intended to divide Vietnam's independence forces. Dr. Nam spoke about history distortion cases related to Japan's invasion of Southeast Asia during World War II, using textbooks, illustrations, and photographs. In his presentation, Dr. Nam clarified that Korea and Vietnam were under the colonial rule of Japan and France, respectively, in the past and that distortion of history has been spearheaded by imperialist nations, especially Japan. He thus emphasized the need for the Foundation and VASS to conduct systematic research into various historical issues during the colonial period through joint studies and academic conferences. The various important historical issues presented by the two researchers will certainly become the base for joint research between the Foundation and VASS. Dinh Quang Hai, director of the Institute of History, was the last to give a presentation. He reasserted that the Paracel Islands had already existed in Vietnam's administrative districts from long ago based on Vietnam's historical records in the 15th century. Dinh attributed Vietnam's friction with China in the region largely to the fact that the French colonial government had resolved the border problem with China carelessly.

In the last session under the theme of territory and oceans, researcher Yu Ha-yeong of the Foundation spoke about Korea's territorial and oceanic issues and future tasks centered on the Korean-Japanese Fisheries Agreement. The last speaker was Dr. Nguyen Van Minh, invited from the Vietnam Coast Guard. He gave a detailed account of the conflicts that Vietnam is experiencing with neighboring countries regarding its marine territory, including the Paracel Islands, and Vietnam's attempts at solutions. He said that although Vietnam had settled the problems of territory and maritime boundary delimitation with Malaysia and Cambodia, there have not yet been negotiations with China and the Philippines, which have been pushing aggressively for southern policies, including sending survey vessels last summer. Negotiations with China hold the key to the settlement of problems between Vietnam and the Philippines in the future, but China's active advances into the region lately put Vietnam in a quandary, according to him. The Korea-Vietnam academic conferences—held twice in 2019—laid solid groundwork for close cooperation in an atmosphere in which Korea and Vietnam interact and cooperate out of mutual necessity in the 21st century. The realization of close exchanges between the major history organizations of Korea and Vietnam in 2019 will serve as a basis leading to the new age, and holds great meaning as its starting point.