Opinions clashing in South Korea on how to handle 'pro-North' publications

North Koreans pay tribute to the statues of North Korea founder Kim Il-sung, left, and his son and successor Kim Jong-il in this photo released by the North's Korea Central News Agency, April 26. Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

North Korea founder Kim Il-sung's memoir "With the Century" Korea Times file

South Korea is in a debate over how to handle so-called "pro-North Korea materials," following the recent publication of North Korea founder Kim Il-sung's memoir here.

With the South Korean publisher of the memoir facing a police investigation for printing the book, which the Supreme Court banned here in 2011 as an anti-state material, opinions are clashing. Some argue the country should guarantee freedom of speech and South Koreans are no longer as naive as to be instigated by Pyongyang's glorification of its founder, while others stress the importance of complying with the National Security Act.

In the eight-volume memoir, titled "With the Century," Kim reminisces on his childhood and campaigns against Japan's colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945. It was first published in North Korea in 1992, and the North regime identifies the memoir as an important historical document to understand the modern history of the Korean Peninsula, despite doubts and questions on its accuracy and reliability from the outside world.

The memoir became an issue in South Korea weeks after the publishing house, Minjok Sarangbang, issued an unabridged version on April 1. Before this, the memoir had been available for limited non-borrowable public access at a number of major libraries here.

According to the publishing industry, the memoir was distributed to major bookstores across the country through a publishers' cooperative, but did not raise much attention immediately after its release. After news reports on the memoir late last month, about 30 sets were sold, but their sales were stopped afterward, following customers' complaints and worries over potential violation of the National Security Act.

Kyobo Book Centre decided not to sell the memoir on April 23, citing the possibility of putting customers at risk of facing penalties on charges of violating the act. YES24, another major online book distributor, said it had not judged the appropriateness of the memoir, but the books are now unavailable following the publisher cooperative's decision to discontinue its distribution. The cooperative, Korea Publishers Cooperative, refused to comment.

While its sales were halted, the memoir is facing strong opposition from civic groups.

On April 23, New Paradigm of Korea (NPK), a domestic civic group, filed a petition asking for a court injunction to ban the memoir's publishing.

"Allowing the memoir's publication is violating not only the National Security Act, but also the country's Constitution, which stipulates that South Korea is the only legitimate country on the Korean Peninsula," Doe Tae-woo, a lawyer representing the NPK, told The Korea Times. "The memoir is not just an autobiography, but a North Korean bible idolizing Kim and justifying the regime."

Doe stressed that there is a stark difference between allowing the memoir's publishing and reading it at libraries, because allowing its release provides grounds for the publication of other pro-North materials.

"What if someone produces memoir-based videos, novels or even webcomics glorifying Kim Il-sung and the North Korean regime? And what if someone creates an organization studying this?" Doe said. "If South Korea allows this, there would be no legal ground to prohibit other pro-North materials here."

'Fantasy novel'

In contrast to those opposing the memoir, politicians ― even conservative ones ― are rather being less sensitive to its publication in South Korea.

"Even though the Supreme Court has ruled it is an anti-state material and the memoir is aimed at idolizing Kim Il-sung, it is enough to leave the judgment to the people at a time when public awareness has improved," People Power Party (PPP) deputy spokesperson Park Ki-nyeong said in a commentary.

Park said the ideological competition has long since ended and the public is wise enough to easily understand that South Korea's system is overwhelmingly superior. And the memoir can be a "priming water," showing the idolization of North Korea's Kim family as a fantasy.

"We should have faith in South Korea's public awareness and superior system and leave this to the public judgment," Park said. "No one in this country will sympathize with those who hail Kim Il-sung."

Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the PPP also said the country should guarantee freedom of speech, and should have better trust in its public.

"Most of the memoir is fake, and there is no South Korean who will fall for the North's glorification of its founder," he said. "Even though Pyongyang bans South Korea's cultural materials, we should allow North Korea-related publications and showcase the superiority of liberal democracy."

In an interview with a local newspaper, Kim Seung-kyun, the CEO of the memoir's South Korean publisher, said he decided to publish it "to find the common ground between two Koreas with the anti-Japan campaign" but had no intention to "benefit North Korea."

Over the memoir's glorification, he said, "readers will take it into account, because it is a memoir" and "reading various books and finding the right balance is important for the progress of history." He added that the authorities need to back up claims that the memoir poses a threat to national security.

Earlier this week, Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website, said that South Korea's legal community and conservative media have been in a "hysterical craze" over the books' release, and condemned South Korean authorities for "crafting a dirty scheme" to conduct an investigation into the publisher and block the publication and distribution of the books.