Korean author to revise anti-Semitic texts

The author of a South Korean educational series said he would change chapters on Jews that were criticized as anti-Semitic, but said the stereotypes were accurate. “The Jews are the invisible force that controls the U.S.,” Lee Won-bok, a Seoul university professor, told The Associated Press. “I wrote the chapter to let people know that you can’t understand the U.S. without knowing the Jewish community.” The publication, in comic book format, is part of a series titled “Distant Countries and Neighboring Countries” designed to teach Korean students about other nations. Since its 1987 publication it has sold more than 10 million copies in Korea, a country with 48 million people. One cartoon depicts a newspaper, magazine, radio and TV set with the caption, “In a word, American public debate belongs to the Jews.” The book also indirectly blames the Jews for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and claims that Korean-Americans are hardworking “but in the end, always run into the wall called the Jews.” Lee said he is not anti-Semitic and that his assertions about the Jews are “commonly believed,” but that he would remove or change the passages, the AP reported.