Books on President's reading list see surge in sales

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The three books President Moon Jae-in read during his summer vacation last week have seen a remarkable boost in sales. The three are Han Kang's “There Comes the Boy,” Kim Sung-dong's “Kooksu” (artists with unrivaled expertise in their fields) and journalist Jin Cheon-gyu's “Seoul and Pyongyang Change Alike Over Time” (a tentative English title).

According to Kyobo Bookstore, Monday, Han Kang's novel sold an average of 29 copies a day before Aug. 3 media reports about President Moon's summer book list.

Han Kang's “There Comes the Boy”

Its sales soared over tenfold afterwards, with average daily sales of 306 copies. The book is about a 15-year-old boy named Dong-ho who lived through the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. Dong-ho is shot dead after standing against the military during the pro-democracy protest, in which bloody clashes between the military and citizens took the lives of thousands.

Kyobo Bookstore said “There Comes the Boy” is popular among female readers in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

“Kooksu,” also saw a dramatic boost. Before Aug. 3, the book sold 25 copies or so daily. But after that, nearly 500 copies were sold between Aug. 3 and 5. The story revolves around musicians, artists and painters who lived in Korea's turbulent pre-modern era between 1882 and 1894. The historical fiction is popular among male readers in their 60s.

Journalist Jin's photo collection book is the largest beneficiary of the presidential book list. Its daily sales hovered around seven copies or so but the figure surged to 468 copies. It made the bestseller list in foreign affairs books and was popular particularly among male readers in their 50s.

Jin captured lesser-known Pyongyang's skyline, including the 73rd story high-rise apartment building in the upscale Ryomyong street, Pyongyang residents' use of cellphones and people's lives in rural areas. Since joining the liberal daily newspaper Hankyoreh in I987, Jin has visited North Korea six times and captured rare images of the isolated country.

President Moon read the three books during his five-day summer vacation from July 31 to Aug. 3.