<2011.05.24>
On April 22, VANK discovered that the website of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), a representative government agency of Australia, listed Goryeo as the first Korean state.
VANK informed its members of the issue and sent an official letter requesting a correction.
At the time, the website of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade contained the following information:
The ROK is situated on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula.
The Korean Peninsula was first unified as a sovereign state in 918 under the Goryeo Dynasty (the source of the English-language name “Korea”). In 1392, the Joseon Dynasty took power, and ruled until it was replaced by the Korean Empire in 1897.
In its correction request letter, VANK explained that omitting major periods of Korean history — including Gojoseon, established in 2333 BCE, as well as Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla (the Three Kingdoms), Gaya, and Balhae (698–926) — effectively erased significant parts of Korea’s historical identity.
VANK emphasized in the letter that these ancient kingdoms were clearly sovereign states within Korean history, and therefore, the statement claiming Goryeo as Korea’s first state must be deleted.
The letter also requested that content on Gojoseon and the Three Kingdoms period be added to provide a more accurate account of Korean history.
As a result of this correction request, it was confirmed on May 24 that the misleading statement was removed, and the section on Korea’s history had been expanded.
The ROK is situated on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. An independent Korean state or group of Korean states has existed almost continuously for several millennia. Between its initial unification in the 7th century – from the three Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla – until 1910, Korea existed as a single independent country
This website run by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is widely used by Australians seeking to visit Korea or engage in business with the country.
Therefore, it is all the more important that the information it provides be accurate and reliable.
We hope that, through this website, the correct and proud history of Korea will become more widely known to Australians and to all who visit the site in the future.