As expected, the preparation of state-authored history textbooks for middle schools and high schools got off to a bumpy start, with all of the authors, except for Shin Hyong-sik, professor emeritus at Ewha Womans University whose name was announced earlier, remaining nameless.

The National Institute of Korean History, the government organization charged with preparing the state-authored history textbooks that will replace the current state-reviewed history books at the start of the 2017 academic year, announced Monday that 47 authors would be involved in the project.

The institute said that 37 professors and researchers and 19 teachers applied to participate in the project, of whom 17 were selected. The other thirty authors are participating in the project by invitation. The total number of authors, at 47, is significantly larger than the number of authors involved in the writing of state-reviewed history textbooks, according to National Institute of Korean History.

When the institute began accepting applicants on Nov. 4, it had said that the number of authors would be set at 36, with 25 authors selected from the applicant pool and 11 authors participating by invitation. However, the numbers announced Monday – 17 authors selected from applicants and 30 invited authors – show that the number of invited authors is greater than the number of selected applicants, a reversal of the institute’s earlier announcement.

The institute said it would decide on when and how the names of the authors would be released after consulting with the authors. For now, the emphasis is on creating an environment in which the authors can focus on writing, it said.

This is an understandable concern as the highly controversial project has polarized Korean society along ideological lines and a massive witch hunt and a smear campaign by those opposed to the state-authored history text book is highly likely. Yet, the authors, if their conscience is clear about their participation, should not hide behind anonymity but be willing to stand up for what they are trying to accomplish.

The National Institute of Korean History, thus far, has only added fuel to the controversy surrounding the state-authored textbooks with its refusal to name the authors, thus reneging on the government’s pledge to keep the entire process transparent. This first misstep should be corrected as soon as possible if it is to earn the trust of those opposed to the reintroduction of state history textbooks.