A major history textbook for high schools, A Modern History of Korea for High School (Seoul: Kumsung Publishing House, 2007) described that Protestantism in Korea supported Japanese invasion to Korea. The text book has been used for many years by more than 50% high schools in South Korea. The argument of this book is very important because it might influence over high school students who think that the text book should always be correct. However, Protestantism in Korea was not the supporter of the Japan Empire in the turn-of-twentieth century Asia. In reality, Korea Protestantism had been appeared by Korean people as defender of Korean people against Japanese power. At that time Korea protestantism had been closely related to America which send their missionaries to Korea and helped its modernization. When Japan tried to put Korea in her power, King KoJong sent his envoy to the president Roosevelt of USA for help to maintain his independence. In reality, Japan government had considered Korean Protestantism as big obstacle for its rule over Korea. Japan had always be afraid of Korean Christianity and spied over it. Japanese army in 1911 arrested 105 important Christian leaders to destroy Korean churches. Also, in the last years of Japan imperialism, Japan governor-general of Korea expelled American missionaries from Korean peninsular to disconnect Korean Christian relationship with America. Finally, missionaries tried to maintain the principle of separation between church and state in Korea. They did not involve in political matter either on Korean nationalism or Japanese imperialism. This attitude of missionaries could not be satisfied with Japanese as well as Korean. However, they thought that their original mission in Korea is evangelization, but not independent movement of Korea.

• 박명수(서울신학대학교 교수) | Myung Soo Park