Although Western countries have been shutting down Confucius Institutes one by one, it was revealed that the Chinese government’s propaganda organization is growing in South Korea.
The Confucius Institute was founded in 2004 with the support of the Chinese Ministry of Education and Hanban, or the Chinese Language Council International. It was nominally established to spread the Chinese language and culture around the world, but it has long faced criticism that it is working as a propaganda institution for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Cho Tae-yong, former First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and a current lawmaker from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), acquired data from six national universities in South Korea. The data proved that the funding coming from the Chinese government for South Korean Confucius Institutes has been increasing significantly. As an example, the Chinese government’s funding to six South Korean national universities operating Confucius Institutes rose from 860 million won ($730,050) in 2019 to 990 million won ($840,407) last year. Also, the six universities’ budget for operating their Confucius Institutes was heavily dependent upon the funds from China. In 2018, the Chinese funding accounted for 61.2 percent of the total budget to operate these institutes at the six universities, but the figure rose to 74.3 percent in 2020. It was also revealed that two universities’ Confucius Institutes were fully funded by the Chinese government.
Confucius Institutes are facing shutdowns in the West, as they have been regarded as working to manipulate public opinion and spread Chinese propaganda. The U.S. Congress has made it clear that the CCP uses various measures to manipulate public opinion around the world, and that the Confucius Institute is one of them. Recently, the U.S. Congress passed a law that prohibits universities that host Confucius Institutes from receiving funding from the Department of Defense. As a result, around two-thirds of the Confucius Institutes in the United States have shut down. European countries such as Belgium and the United Kingdom also are closing down their Confucius Institutes. And in Australia the institutes are facing pressure to close.
However, it appears that the Moon Jae-in administration has not taken any action to prevent the CCP from spreading its influence in the country. According to contracts signed by the Chinese government and South Korean national universities, the funds from China must be used according to the Chinese headquarters’ policy. The contracts also state that South Korean Confucius Institutes should be assessed by headquarters in China. This means that the Chinese government can exercise a huge influence over its institutions that operate in South Korea because it is their key donor.
According to a South Korean civic group working to inform people of the truth behind the Confucius Institutes, textbooks for children used in the institutes are full of propaganda. One children’s textbook said, “The grace of the Chinese Communist Party is even deeper than the depth of the East Sea.”
Rep. Cho requested comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, which oversee the Confucius Institutes in South Korea. The Foreign Ministry told Cho that “we are closely monitoring the Confucius Institute-related issues that are being raised in the international community, but we have not seen any similar problem raised in our country.”
The Ministry of Education also told Cho that “regarding the allegation that the Confucius Institutes pose threats to various countries’ foreign relations and national security, we have not taken any specific measure other than studying the status of Confucius Institutes in the country.”
“The Confucius Institute is a key example of the Chinese government’s so-called sharp diplomacy, and many countries are concerned about it,” Rep. Cho said. “However, South Korea seems to be the only country that is retaining a passive approach. We need to conduct a thorough investigation as soon as possible to see what really is going on.”
Meanwhile, the Professors’ Solidarity for Freedom and Justice, a South Korean civic group of more than 6,000 professors, held a conference in July to warn people of the growing Chinese influence in the country’s education system. According to the group, there are around 23 Confucius Institutes operating in South Korea. Panels at the conference argued that the institutes are used to promote China’s image as a global leader and spread the idea of the so-called “Chinese Dream,” which refers to Beijing’s goal to return the nation to its former glory as a global powerhouse. While other democratic countries are rejecting China’s vision, South Korea seems to be the only one embracing it.
