"Program proceeded under W Academy department head's sole authority"

The phrases "6·25 War" and "resist America, aid Korea" — the Chinese Communist Party's term glorifying its intervention in the Korean War — appear side by side with cartoon characters representing Korean and Chinese children. The post was taken down Tuesday morning after a wave of public complaints. [Captured from the War Memorial of Korea website]
The phrases "6·25 War" and "resist America, aid Korea" — the Chinese Communist Party's term glorifying its intervention in the Korean War — appear side by side with cartoon characters representing Korean and Chinese children. The post was taken down Tuesday morning after a wave of public complaints. [Captured from the War Memorial of Korea website]

The War Memorial of Korea Foundation said Wednesday that honorary director Choi Yoon-hee, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had no involvement in the planning or approval of an education program that sparked controversy over its use of the Chinese term "resist America, aid Korea" — Beijing's glorifying name for its intervention in the Korean War.

"This education program was proposed and planned by W Academy staff in accordance with the foundation's project plan, and was carried out under the sole authority of the W Academy department head through internal procedures," the foundation said.

The foundation also said the program was not designed to introduce or justify the Chinese perspective. It was conceived on the premise of South Korea's historical understanding — that the Korean War began with North Korea's illegal invasion of the South. Its stated purpose was to critically examine the distorted narrative China has promoted under the "resist America, aid Korea" framing, and to help participants more clearly understand the true nature of the war and the value of veterans' sacrifice by distinguishing that propaganda from historical fact.

However, the foundation acknowledged shortcomings in the production and review of promotional materials, saying expressions that could be misread as contradicting the program's original intent had been identified. It said the related posts had been removed and the education program suspended.


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