'Unprecedented Nation': Book critical of Cho Kuk storms into bestseller list
Then-Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk is seen near a building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in this Aug. 9 file photo. / Korea Times file
'Moon fatigue' makes 'Unprecedented Nation' bestseller
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Just as embattled then-Justice Minister Cho Kuk polarized the nation last year, so now have two recently published books about him.
“The Unprecedented Nation: How Democracy Comes to an End,” a book more commonly referred to as “The Cho Kuk Dark Book” as it deals with his and his family's “dark past,” stormed into the bestseller list Friday, three days after it went on sale online and in bookstores.
On the first day of its release, all 5,000 copies sold out.
The book, co-authored by five liberal experts, including lawyer Kwon Kyung-ae, medical doctor Seo Min, and popular political commentator Jin Jung-kwon, was released three weeks after “Reforming the Prosecution and Candlelit Rallies,” another book about Cho Kuk, went on sale on Aug. 5.
Although the two books were written about the same person, the way they describe the former justice minister is poles apart.
“The Unprecedented Nation” is a critical review of Cho Kuk and his negative impact on Korean politics, whereas “Reforming the Prosecution” presents a sympathetic view, portraying him as a victim who was brought down because of opposition to his goal to transform the prosecution into a “transparent” and independent organization.
“The Unprecedented Nation” revisits the Cho Kuk scandal, which rocked the nation last year, to draw lessons for South Korean society.
The book criticizes fandom-based politics, addressing how it led the nation to be gripped by insanity.
“In the past, when people realized their criticisms about a certain person was not based on facts, they apologized to the public and took time off to reflect on their actions. But what happens now is that people who attacked others over baseless rumors don't reflect on their actions. Without thinking they are wrong, they'd rather point their fingers at critics from within and blame them for their own failures, thinking otherwise they would have won the game,” the book reads. “Those who did the right thing and confronted them to encourage them to change their course of action are portrayed as traitors. What matters to them is not truth. What matters is whether they like it or not.”
“The Unprecedented Nation” is based on opinions presented by five authors about the Cho Kuk scandal and what it meant for South Korean society.
Seo Min, a professor at Dankook University College of Medicine and one of the five authors of the book, said “Moon fatigue” seems to be one of the reasons behind the success of their book.
“When your book becomes a bestseller, you want to find the people who made it a success and thank them,”
. “For me, President Moon Jae-in is one of those people. I think many people bought our book because they also feel that the tyranny of the Moon Jae-in regime is worsening.”
According to Seo, he and the four other authors met a number of times over a period of three months starting in February for discussions regarding the publication of the book.
In the meantime, he said he was worried about what would happen with the book if the Moon government suddenly transformed before it was published.
“While waiting anxiously for the publication of the book, I was worried about what would happen if President Moon was to change and become a good President. If that happened though, it would be good for the Korean public, so I couldn't exactly wish against it,” he said.
Seo said he needn't have worried because such a remarkable change didn't happen and President Moon made repeated policy mistakes that ultimately helped the book succeed.
He said he was grateful to Moon for his inaugural speech, in which he vowed to help the Korean public experience an unprecedented country under his leadership, as it inspired him and the four other authors to come up with the title of the book.
Seo said Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and her predecessor Cho Kuk are two other people who contributed a lot to the success of “The Unprecedented Nation.”
“The Unprecedented Nation: How Democracy Comes to an End” by Kang Yang-gu, Kwon Kyung-ae, Kim Kyung-yule, Seo Min and Jin Jung-kwon
Contrary to the viewpoint expressed in “The Unprecedented Nation,” “Reforming the Prosecution and Candlelit Rallies” is a book defending Cho. Written by 10 left-wing authors, it is sympathetic to the former justice minister and describes his “suffering” from the media reports about corruption allegations surrounding Cho and his family, as “growing pains” necessary in the path to the reform of the prosecution.
The book alleges the prosecution-media connection entrapped Cho and as a result he suffered the consequences.
“The Unprecedented Nation” was written by left-wing “defectors” who were once like-minded people with Cho and Moon Jae-in but changed their minds and became critics from within. Meanwhile, “Reforming the Prosecution and Candlelit Rallies” was written by stalwart left-wingers who didn't withdraw their support for Cho, despite corruption allegations that landed him in court.