The Korean history test will become mandatory for college entrance exam takers starting this year, officials said Tuesday.

The Education Ministry said the score of the College Scholastic Aptitude Test, or Suneung, will be invalid if test-takers do not sit for the Korean history exam.

The new rule is part of the ministry’s guidelines and plans for the CSAT this year. The ministry annually releases the basic scheme for the national college entrance exam at the start of the school year. The test will be will held on Nov. 17 nationwide.

The ministry decided in 2013 to make the Korean history test mandatory, upon the Park Geun-hye administration’s push to strengthen Korean history education.

The move, however, sparked heated debate, with those who supported it citing the need for more emphasis on history education. Those who opposed the move said that it would put excessive academic burden on students.

Proponents of the mandatory history exam highlighted the need to raise “national spirit” through history education. Others claimed that the move would only lead to the growth of the private education market.

In 2013, only 7.1 percent of Suneung takers chose Korean history for their optional test courses, indicating lack interest in the subject. 

In response to public concern that the new requirement would result in greater dependency on private education, the Education Ministry stressed that the mandatory Korean history test would be easy, with only 20 questions. The test will also be graded under absolute evaluation to reduce the burden on students, it added.

The education authorities will come up with more details of the exam in July.

The incumbent government’s emphasis on history education has often led to debates over its social, political and ideological implications.

The latest controversy was the government’s decision in November last year to officially reinstate state-issued history textbooks for secondary education from next year. The government had argued that the majority of high school history textbooks are left-leaning.

It will be the first time since 1974 that history textbooks used for secondary education will be authored by the government.

The state-issued history textbooks have drawn fierce opposition from progressives over the decision making and publication process which has remained largely undisclosed. Opponents have also claimed the state’s direct involvement will lead to biased descriptions of modern history, including the past dictatorship.

The government has so far finalized 47 members of the textbook review committee but only revealed the name of one of them -- Shin Hyung-sik, a professor emeritus at Ewha Womans University. They said the other names of others will remain undisclosed for security reasons. The government had initially vowed to keep the entire publication process transparent.

In December last year, some civic groups, including Minbyun, or Lawyers for a Democratic Society, brought the textbook case to the Constitutional Court, claiming that reinstating state-authored history textbooks “infringed the impartiality of education.”

The new history textbooks will be used in schools from March next year.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)