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The Agency for Editing of Korean History (Kyūjitai: 朝鮮史編修會; Shinjitai: 朝鮮史編修会; Rōmaji: Chōsenshi Henshūkai) was established in June 1925 by the Japanese government of Royal edict in order to legitimate Japan's 1910 annexation of Korea.

朝鮮史 means "history of Korea"; 編修 means "to edit and correct" or "to compile"; 會 means "committee" or "agency".

The main objectives of this agency were to reduce the territory of ancient Korean states into the Korean Peninsula and to describe Gojoseon's history as myth. A total of 975,534 Korean Won (not adjusted for inflation) was spent over 27 years, and a considerable amount of books were published for these purposes. The books can be categorized into Joseon History (25 volumes), History Collection (102 volumes), and Reprint of Historical Records (1623 volumes). However, no copies of the Reprint of Historical Records are known to exist today.

Controversies on its role

Accusation of Burning Korean History Books

A widespread tale says that the Japanese colonial government burnt thousands of Korean history books which had negative historical references about the Japanese, such as the wokou. However, Japan denies this accusation. The colonial government ordered confiscation of 51 different books on November 19, 1910, shortly after the annexation of Korea. The complete list of all 51 books are known, which consisted of textbooks, religious and political books, and history books written in more recent times. However, most of these books could not be completely destroyed and survive today.

Conjuring Gojoseon's History as Myth

After they seized the Korean history books, they made a regulation to re-write Korean history, and as follows;

1. Korean peninsula history should be written as chronicles
2. The whole volumes include
   1. Samhan
   2. Three Kingdoms of Korea
   3. Silla
   4. Goryeo
   5. Joseon and
   6. Modern Chōsen (Joseon)
3. The origin of Korean history, national developing procedure and historical legend are totally ignored.
4. The re-organized Korean history books must be written in the Japanese script.

The first regulation for Korean history compilation did not contain the history of Gojoseon (legendary: 2333 BCE–293 BCE) and succeeding several states after Gojoseon's destruction to validate their colonization because Japanese history (not pre-history) does not exist before 100 CE. In an inquiry commission, Jeong Manho (정만호), Yi Neunghwa (이능화) and Eo Yunjeok (어윤적) suggested the history of Gojoseon should be included and Korean script should be used as well. But, only the Japanese committee influenced the regulation.

After the regulation was fixed, the second regulation was modified to reduce the history of ancient Korea, and as follows:
2. The volumes include

1. The era before unified Silla
2. Unified Silla
3. Goryeo
4. foregoing Joseon
5. middle Joseon
6. latter Joseon

The second regulation further cut down the history before the unified Silla (the unified Silla starts from about 700AD). The three volumes (i, ii and iii) in the first regulation were aggregated into the one volume in the second regulation (The era before unified Silla). And then the agent described the history of Gojoseon as myth.

Fabrication Controversy of Samguk Yusa

Non-mainstream Korean historians also claimed that the Agency forged a letter of Samguk Yusa, one of the oldest surviving Korean history books, in order to discredit the ancient nation of Hwanguk (환국, 桓國). However, close examination shows that it is a misconception based on typographical error that occurs in some editions of Samguk Yusa. (For more information, see the Hwanguk article itself.)

Distorting Ancient Korean History

Finally, the Agent distorted the ancient Korean history to validate Japanese colonization of Joseon. The ancient Korean history was distorted by the Agent and as follows; i) Korean history was only part of Korean peninsula history (Korean history had never rule over Manchuria), ii) North Korean peninsula was the colony of China by Chinese Commanderies, iii) South Korean peninsula was the colony of Japan by Mimana Nihonfu (任那日本府). In order to demonstrate their theories, they moved the a stone monument (棕蟬縣神祠碑), which was originally located at Liaodong, into Pyongyang, and then distorted the location of Chinese commanderies such that they existed in Pyongyang. In addition, the Agent fabricated the Gwanggaeto Stele to validate the ancient colonization of South Korean peninsula by Japan. For more detail of fabrication of the stele, see Gwanggaeto Stele#Debate over an ancient message.

Organization

The Chairman

Advisors

• Kwon Junghyeon (권중현)
• Bak Yeonghyo (박영효, 朴泳孝)
• Lee Wan-Yong
• Torajirō Naitō (內藤虎次郞)
• Koroita Hatori (服部宇之吉)

Committee member

• Oe Yunjeok (어윤적, 魚允迪)
• Yi Neunghwa (이능화, 李能和)
• Shōgo Oda (小田省吾)
• Ryū Imanishi (今西龍)

Commission member

• Choi Namseon (최남선, 崔南善)

Manager

• Inabe and the 3 other people.

Investigator

• Sin Seokho (신석호, 申奭鎬)
• Yi Byeongdo
• Hong Hee (홍희, 洪熹)
• Inanba
• Fujita (藤田亮策)

Notes

1. 김, 삼웅 (2004). 한국사를 뒤흔드는 위서 (The Forged History Books to Shock the Korean History). 서울: 인물과사상. ISBN 89-88410-91-2.
2. 김성민, 조선사편수회의 조직과 운용(Management and Organization of Joseonsa Pyeonsuhoe ), 국민대 석사논문(MS Thesis, Kukmin University), 1987
3. ^ For a complete list, see this blog post "Did the Japanese Empire burn 200 thousand history books?" (일제는 20만권의 사서를 태웠나): http://orumi.egloos.com/214612 (in Korean).
4. 리, 순진 (2001). 평양일대 락랑무덤에 대한 연구(A Research about the Tombs of Nangnang around Pyongyang). 서울: 중심. ISBN 89-89524-05-9.

References

• Korea Britannica article
• Doosan Encyclopedia (Encyber) article
• Dongsuh Encyclopedia (Pascal) article
• Donga Weekly article by Lee Geuncheol
• KBS History Special, episode 64

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from December 2007
• Korea under Japanese rule
• History of Korea
• Anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea
• Chinilpa
• Collaborators with Imperial Japan