by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
Often called the “Forgotten War,” the 1950-53 Korean War is usually glossed over in American history classes, despite the fact that more than 33,000 U.S. soldiers were were killed in battle.
The Korean War Legacy Foundation is hoping to change this by producing a digital history textbook that focuses on the the overlooked war, according to Yonhap News Agency. Since 2011, the foundation has interviewed about 700 U.S. veterans of the Korean War and collected 6,000 pieces of historical evidence, including personal photos, letters and diaries, through the sponsorship of South Korea’s veteran affairs ministry and PNS Networks.
According to Jong-woo Han, a Syracuse University professor who heads the foundation, the digital textbook is scheduled to be unveiled at the National Council for Social Studies in November. If all goes well, the digital textbook will be used as supportive teaching material at American middle schools and high schools.
“It is impossible for students to understand the importance of war history by only reading books,” Han told the Korean Bizwire. “By using a digital textbook, students can have a chance to naturally understand the meaning and lessons the Korean War teaches.”
The professor added that the U.S. history textbooks usually cover about one third of that of the Vietnam War. Sometimes, the Korean War is only summed up in one paragraph.
Choi Wan-gun, the deputy chief of the veteran affairs ministry, said, “I am very thankful that American history teachers are making efforts to remember the sacrifices war veterans made during the Korean War.”
Currently, a total of 30 history teachers and historians are transcribing interviews and inputting metadata for the digital textbook project.
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