These days interest in Korean history is growing rapidly. This can be seen with the rise in popularity in TV drama titled 'Jumong'. This drama encouraged people to think about our history, especially the 'Goguryeo' dynasty.
Our nation is located between China and Japan. This location has had a huge effect on history, as is evident in the ongoing relationships and issues on the international scene. Some examples include the fact that China wants to include more minority races so that they can extend their territory, and Japan has claimed that "Dokdo is a Japanese island" in order to extend their maritime boundaries. If Korea doesn't take special measures, the nation could be robbed of a place that is a piece of our ancient history and a valuable resource.
International issues are resolved more often by power than by logic. One's own interest is of higher value than truth. China and Japan would make a show of power in order to protect their own interests. On the stage of history, sometimes we must fight.
In the past, there have been other issues of historical interest to us. When the matters were current between Korea and other nations, the interest of the government and the people was at height. Sometimes we quickly lost interest in discussing such matters, and the issues became more important to be written down in history books. Such issues are known as 'pot-boilers' because as the name suggests, people become like the boiling water, intensely excited about something for a short time, and then that excitement dies down quickly.
Recently, however, certain objects of historical significance have been returned to Korea after having been illegally taken by other nations in the past. According to a recent television show aired nationally, this is a result of the effort of the people of Korea.
I think that the government should have worked to achieve the return of such artifacts of historical and national significance. We should not let the issue of such important national artifacts become just another temporary pot-boiler subject of discussion as the result of a single television program. Rather, the government should start to make ongoing efforts to see the rest of Korea's historically significant possessions returned to the people and the peninsular.
We need to show continuous interest in our history, and implement systematic strategies rather than exhibit emotional responses. If we continue mindlessly as before, we will be strategically defeated on the stage of history. It is time to sustain the latest interest sparked through the TV drama, and spread this fire of interest to all parts of society.
