5th World Congress of Teachers of the Korean War
Helen Smith-MacPhail
Prince Edward Island Social Studies Teachers Association
The 5th World Congress of Teachers of the Korean War was held from August 1-4th in Cambridge, England. This congress is organized by the Korean War Legacy Foundation (KWLF). This year included participants representing 19 of the 22 counties that participated in the Korean War. One participant was from Slovakia which was part of the USSR during the Korean War.
The Social Studies Educators Network of Canada (SSENC / RESSC) partnered with the KWLF to assist five teachers from across Canada to attend the World Congress. While at the congress, the Canadian teachers representing SSENC / RESSC presented information on how students interacted with the Canadian lessons on the Korean War published in 2023.
The five teachers that represented the Social Studies Educators Network of Canada were able to meet other educators from other countries that participated in the Korean War, including the United States of America, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey and countries in Europe.
There were a number of countries that presented on how the Korean War is represented and taught in their curriculum. There were many similar experiences from many different countries about how the curriculum treats the Korean War as an add on or gives it very little time. One of the presentations was about the importance of the geography and place of South Korea in the World today. It was noted that when looking at a nighttime satellite image of the Korean Peninsula, it is easy to see that North Korea continues to be in the dark, while South Korea is filled with light.
The power of attending this conference on teaching the Korean War will be one that stays with me and I have a better understanding of the role of the Korean War in shaping the world that we live in today.
