(LEAD) Controversy erupts over war memorial agency's use of China's Korean War propaganda

(ATTN: ADDS defense ministry's response in paras 5-7; TRIMS)By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- A state-affiliated agency that manages South Korea's war memorial museum came under fire Tuesday after using a Chinese propaganda narrative of the 1950-53 Korean War as a war of resistance against U.S. aggression in a promotional poster.

The Korea War Memorial Organization, which operates the War Memorial of Korea, recently posted the material on its website to accept applications for an educational program on the three-year war for elementary school students.

The poster, titled "The Korean War: Different Interpretations," features two boys facing each other, with one viewing the conflict as the "June 25 War," the term commonly used in South Korea for the Korean War, and the other thinking of it as the "War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea," China's official narrative of the conflict.

South Korea views the Korean War as having begun with North Korea's illegal invasion of the South, while China characterizes its involvement in the war as an effort to assist the North in fighting U.S.-led Allied forces that backed the South.

The poster has been removed from the website, and the agency decided to cancel the program, the defense ministry said in a media note.

"We understand that the program was initially designed to clearly convey the historical fact that the Korean War began with North Korea's illegal invasion of the South, but it appears that the program did not undergo sufficient review during the planning process," the ministry said.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back instructed officials to thoroughly investigate the incident and take strict measures in accordance with relevant regulations and procedures if any violations are found, the ministry added.

This image, captured from the Korea War Memorial Organization's website on June 9, 2026, shows the promotional poster for an educational program on the 1950-53 Korean War. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)