Relating to the recent state-funded project by China to claim that the kingdom of Goguryeo was originally Chinese, the Chinese government said that it would not be advisable for China and Korea to get politically involved in the conflict, said Park Heung-sin, the chief of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Park said that he expressed concern to the Chinese ambassador to Korea that the push by Chinese scholars might result in a diplomatic conflict between the two nations.
Park also said that from what he has heard, Chinese historians started a project to reorganize Northeast Asian history, and that the Chinese government only approved of this project. Therefore, Park said, it is hard to believe that Chinese government intentionally tried to manipulate history.
Meanwhile, because North Korea has made up for the shortcomings in their previous proposal to have Goguryeo artifacts in North Korea listed as UNESCO world heritage site, the tombs are likely to be recognized for their significance by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
(Lee Ha-won, may2@chosun.com)
