"History of Goguryeo and Balhae Minimized"...Numerous Errors on Korean History Found on Major International Websites

Errors and Omissions in the Historical Descriptions of the Great Wall, Goguryeo, and Balhae
Ancient Korean History Also Minimized on UNESCO and Metropolitan Museum Sites

Numerous errors and omissions related to the Great Wall of China and Korea's ancient history, including Goguryeo and Balhae, have been found on English-language websites of prominent international organizations such as UNESCO, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Geographic. VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea), the cyber diplomatic organization, pointed out that if generative artificial intelligence (AI) learns this information, widespread misperceptions about history could spread globally.

On August 9, VANK announced that it had investigated 10 global English-language sites and confirmed a total of 11 cases of errors and distortion, including 5 cases regarding the Great Wall, 4 cases concerning Balhae, and 2 relating to Goguryeo.

In particular, it was raised as a problem that some sources describe the eastern end of the Great Wall as extending all the way into Korea. NASA’s Earth Observatory introduces the Great Wall as "stretching from Korea to the Gobi Desert," and National Geographic also describes it as "extending from the Korean border to the Gobi Desert."

The National Geographic map shows the Great Wall extending all the way to Korea. VANK

VANK believes that China's longstanding claim, which has promoted Bakjakseong—an ancient Goguryeo fortress—as Hushan Fortress, part of the Great Wall and its eastern starting point, is being reflected on these international websites.

There were also descriptions that could diminish or confuse the historical territory of Goguryeo and Balhae. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre described Goguryeo's area of rule as "northern China" and cited differing founding years for Goguryeo in its materials: either 277 BCE or 37 BCE. VANK also pointed out that the Metropolitan Museum of Art explains the activity regions of Goguryeo and Balhae primarily within the Korean Peninsula.

According to VANK, Britannica classified regions related to Balhae as “China and Korea” without specifically listing the Republic of Korea, and Encyclopedia.com made no mention of Balhae at all, which VANK warned could result in historical misunderstanding.

VANK expressed particular concern that the impact of these errors could grow during the AI era, because websites run by authoritative institutions are frequently referenced by search engines and generative AI services.

Park Kitae, head of VANK, stated, “Sentences from the websites of authoritative organizations are used in the databases for search engines and generative AI. Correcting inaccuracies about Korean history is a core function of public diplomacy, as it provides a starting point for accurate digital knowledge worldwide.”

VANK plans to request corrections from these organizations and continuously monitor whether Korean historical distortions are being reproduced by generative AI.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.