By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

The conflict between South Korea and China on sovereignty over Koguryo, which was loosely sealed up in the verbal agreement last month, is shaping up into a second round as Seoul strongly urged again Beijing to correct its latest historical distortion Friday.

The fresh bout began when a cultural institution, affiliated to the Chinese government, published a monthly magazine Wednesday, claiming that Koguryo was a provincial administration belonging to Chinese minority nation.

``We cannot help raising a question on the word `local government’ by the Chinese magazine when referring to Koguryo,’’ Lee Kyu-hyung, foreign ministry spokesperson said in a news briefing. ``In accordance with last month’s verbal agreement, we will officially demand an explanation and correction from Beijing on this matter.’’

The ministry will deliver its request and concern to Beijing via both the Chinese Embassy in Seoul and South Korean Embassy in Beijing.

As the magazine, which is issued in a Chinese and English editions and published by a state-run agency, Beijing has come under criticism regarding its hidden intention to promote its global campaign to claim Koguryo as part of its history.

However, the incident will likely put the Chinese authority in a clumsy position as it had been arguing the historical dispute on Koguryo was made by not its government but by its scholars.

On Aug. 24, China promised it would no longer attempt to misrepresent the history of the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo, calling a halt to the first round of the ``historical battle’’ between the two nations.

The two reached a five-point verbal agreement to address the bilateral dispute on Koguryo (37 B.C.-A.D. 668), which Seoul officials said is diplomatically binding. However, many experts predicted the vaguely worded understanding will lead to another historical battle as China did not accept Seoul’s call for it to correct the historical distortion.

In April, the Chinese Foreign Ministry deleted references to Koguryo from its Web site on Korean history, which became the first bone of historical contention between Seoul and Beijing.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr