Corrective action on elementary school textbooks
Recently, VANK identified biased portrayals of Africa in Korean elementary school social studies textbooks.
Focusing on the second-semester 6th-grade social studies textbooks published by five major Korean publishers
—Donga Publishing, Keumseong Publishing, MiraeN, Chunjae Education, and i-Scream Media —
VANK analyzed the content related to Africa and found the following key issues.
There are 3 common problems:
1. Image of Africa as a Passive Recipient
📢 Textbook Message
- Africa is portrayed as a continent of poverty, conflict, and constant crisis. → depicted as a region in need of external help.
- Africa is repeatedly portrayed through fixed images of “ poverty, hunger, and civil war”
- Narratives focus on Korea’s aid and volunteer efforts, emphasizing Africa as a recipient rather than highlighting its path toward self-reliant development
Dong-A Publishing
Mirae-N
📍Best Practices- MiraeN, p.25 – Uses the phrase“A country where the World Cup was held”to convey dynamism
2. Lack of Cultural and Economic Diversity
📢 Textbook Message
- Africa is portrayed as a uniform and unchanging entity,almost as if it were a single country.
Textbooks lack sufficient description of the continent’s racial, climatic, cultural, economic, and political diversity. Examples: Repetitive images of Black people, primitive tribes, clothing made of leaves or simple cloth, safaris, and deserts.
Differences among cultures and countries within Africa are largely ignored.
Mirae-N
Dong-A Publishing
Chunjae Education
📍Best Practices- Chunjae Education, p.31 – Lists various characteristics of African countries, showcasing diversity across the continent.
- Chunjae Education, p.31 – Lists various characteristics of African countries, showcasing diversity across the continent.
3. Lack of Information on Korea-Africa Exchange
📢 Textbook Message
- No mention of the relationship or exchanges between Africa and Korea.
- In the chapter “1-3. Countries Close to Korea,” African nations are barely referenced.
KeumSeong Publishing
KeumSeong Publishing
Dong-A Publishing
📍Best Practices- Chunjae Education and MiraeN include examples of exchanges with Ethiopia and Kenya.
- Chunjae Education and MiraeN include examples of exchanges with Ethiopia and Kenya.
In response, VANK launched a “Domestic Awareness Campaign on Africa” and formally urged the Ministry of Education to revise distorted depictions of Africa in elementary school textbooks.
