Cho Kuk Shares News of 'Cho Kuk's Time' Sold Out... Publisher Says "Not a Single Copy Left"

On the afternoon of the 31st of last month, the memoir of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, titled Cho Kuk's Time: Pain and Untold Thoughts of Truth, was displayed at Kyobo Bookstore in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] The memoir of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, titled "The Time of Cho Kuk," sold out immediately upon release. This book organizes the series of events that unfolded after Cho was nominated as Minister of Justice on August 9, 2019, and records his honest feelings about them.

On the 31st of last month, Cho shared a post from the publisher "Hangilsa," which published "The Time of Cho Kuk," on his Facebook.

In the post, Hangilsa stated, "'The Time of Cho Kuk' has just arrived at Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun branch. Many media outlets trying to take photos of the book and readers trying to purchase it are present," adding, "The publisher has no copies left, making it difficult to buy the book."

They continued, "We would like to show photos of 'The Time of Cho Kuk' on display, but it is currently difficult to take pictures," and added, "At the moment of writing this post, the book has sold out."

Book 'The Time of Jo Guk'. Photo by Jo Guk, former Minister of Justice, Facebook screenshot.

Earlier, on the 27th of last month, Cho announced the publication of his book "The Time of Cho Kuk" on his Facebook, saying, "I carefully prepared this book during a long period of reflection and self-restraint." The subtitle is "Pain and Truth, Unspoken Thoughts." Through this book, he included previously unknown stories such as his connection with President Moon Jae-in and his process of entering the Blue House as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.

Cho said, "False information spread overwhelmingly by the cartel of prosecutors, media, and conservative opposition parties is circulating. Although I am still undergoing trial, I thought I needed to provide at least a minimal explanation before it is too late," adding, "I decided to record the history of the pain I am experiencing from my perspective."

However, as news of Cho’s memoir publication spread, opinions in the political sphere were divided. Ruling party presidential candidates expressed encouragement and consolation, while opposition parties criticized Cho, accusing him of publishing the book to rally pro-Moon (친문) forces and contribute to the regime’s reestablishment.

Regarding this, Cho emphasized, "I wrote this book not to engage in political activities nor to intervene in the current political process, but to accurately record the 'incident' that occurred after my nomination as Minister of Justice and to provide the minimal explanation and defense I had not been able to make until now."

He added, "While once again declaring that I will bear unlimited political and moral responsibility as a high-ranking public official, I also criticized and warned against the runaway and abuse of power by the prosecution, which is a 'living power,'" concluding, "I look forward to readers’ careful reading and constructive criticism."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.