The 'Hwandan Gogi' controversy

Recently, at a press conference on Dec. 12, President Lee Jae Myung created a controversy by simply asking a question. He asked if the "Hwandan Gogi" should be considered as part of the research and discussions on Korean history. Sounds like an innocent question, but the response was overwhelming in condemnation of the president for even suggesting that the "Hwandan Gogi" be considered as a authentic historical document. The "Hwandan Gogi" is a document allegedly compiled in 1911 by a man named Gye Yeon-su but not published until 1979 by Yi Yu-rip. It contains four separate “gogi” — old records. (As an aside, for those of you who speak a little Korean, the word “gogi” is not your familiar food from the barbecue restaurant. There are Chinese characters for this and they mean “old” “record.”) There is scholarly unanimity about the record as a forgery and that it cannot be taken seriously. However, as soon as I say that, I can hear the chorus of objections — the “believers” in the "Hwandan Gogi" — let’s abbreviate it as HDG — come after you with a vengeance i