A recent controversy has emerged regarding a mandatory textbook at Harvard Business School, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions, which includes claims that Japan’s annexation of Korea contributed to Korea’s development. The textbook echoes the unilateral arguments of Japanese right-wing factions and neglects the suffering endured by Koreans due to Japan’s colonial rule, including the exploitation of comfort women, forced labor, and economic oppression.
The textbook also distorts Korea’s history by beginning its account from 668 AD, when Silla unified the Three Kingdoms, thereby omitting Korea’s extensive 5,000-year history. Furthermore, it falsely describes Goryeo as a “vassal state” that paid tribute to China.
In response, VANK has launched a multifaceted campaign urging Harvard Business School to correct these inaccuracies. The campaign includes sending formal protest letters, distributing digital posters, and initiating a global petition to raise awareness of the issue.
VANK argues that erasing Korea’s rich and vibrant history while depicting Goryeo as a vassal state of China and Joseon as a mere Japanese colony aligns with the imperialist historical narrative Japan promoted in 1910 to justify its colonization of Korea. This colonial historiography was constructed to rationalize Japan’s rule over Korea by falsely claiming that the Korean people had historically been subjugated by China and lacked the capacity for self-governance, thus necessitating Japanese control for Korea’s development.
The adoption of this historical perspective by a globally renowned institution like Harvard Business School raises serious concerns. VANK warns that this reflects Japan’s broader effort to leverage Harvard’s academic prestige to institutionalize right-wing historical narratives as global standards.
This issue is particularly alarming given the rise of the Korean Wave (Hallyu), with over 150 million global fans of K-pop, dramas, and films. As global interest in Korean culture continues to grow, misrepresentations of Korea’s history in authoritative sources like Harvard’s curriculum could shape distorted perceptions among future world leaders.
VANK emphasizes that it is highly problematic for Harvard Business School, which produces leaders who shape global policy and diplomacy, to use a textbook that aligns with Japan’s imperialist historical viewpoint. Allowing such distortions to persist risks Harvard mirroring the path of Japan’s Imperial Universities, which once served as institutions for training personnel to execute Japan’s expansionist policies a century ago.
To address this issue, VANK has sent an official letter to Harvard Business School, urging the institution to revise the textbook and present an accurate account of Korean history. Additionally, to mobilize public awareness and pressure for change, VANK has created digital posters in both Korean and English for distribution on social media and launched an international petition to bring the matter to global attention.
One of VANK’s posters visually juxtaposes two images: on the left, a 21st-century photograph of Harvard Business School, and on the right, an image of the lecture hall at Tokyo Imperial University, Japan’s first imperial university. The poster carries the bold message:
“Is Harvard Business School in the 21st century following in the footsteps of Japan’s Imperial Universities from 100 years ago? Harvard, the institution that produces the world’s top leaders, is using a mandatory textbook that distorts Korean history and rationalizes Japan’s imperialist aggression. Do not allow Harvard to become a tool for Japan’s right-wing propaganda—correct the textbook now!”
Through this campaign, VANK urges Harvard Business School to uphold its responsibility as a global leader in education by rejecting historical distortions and contributing to peace and problem-solving in the 21st century.
VANK remains steadfast in its demand that Harvard Business School correct its textbook to prevent it from becoming a platform for Japanese right-wing propaganda or an instrument of historical whitewashing.
VANK encourages Koreans and overseas communities to actively participate in this campaign by downloading and sharing the digital posters, signing the global petition, and sending protest letters to Harvard Business School.