The Korea Times begins a three-part series on the simmering dispute between Chinese historians and the Korean government over the former’s claims of a “Chinese” origin to several ancient Korean dynasties. On the HNN website, Yonson Ahn, of the University of Leipzig, gives a full background on the row.
The Korea Times series repeats earlier claims of Chinese self-aggrandizement and chauvinism with the added twist of a possible future border controversy in the event of a DPRK collapse.
“Some Korean analysts warned that the reason for this continuing history spat, which resurfaced recently, is a desire by Chinese officials to put the present border in question in case North Korea suddenly collapses.
Other researchers point to China’s hope to place itself at the center of the world as the real reason for the current controversy, a view similarly expressed in an American newspaper article.
“For China, the answer has long been obvious,” the Washington Post reported in the story in September 2004. “Their culture, they have been taught, radiated far and wide over the centuries, embracing great historical events, ranging from Genghis Khan’s empire to the invention of spaghetti and meatballs.”