Publication of North Korea founder's memoir stirs controversy

The cover of "With the Century," a memoir of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung / Courtesy of Minjok Sarangbang

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Controversy is rising over the publication of the memoir of North Korea founder Kim Il-sung here, as it was ruled anti-state material by the Supreme Court back in 2011.

While the eight-volume series "With the Century" hit bookshelves in South Korea in early April, the Ministry of Unification said it would look into how the books are being sold and whether this violates the National Security Law.

Local publisher Minjok Sarangbang, operated by a private organization promoting inter-Korean exchanges, released the memoir in early April. The books are unabridged, according to the publisher.

The eight-part memoir covers Kim's early life from his birth in 1912 to armed struggles against Japan before Korea was liberated in 1945. The first volume was published in 1992 on the occasion of Kim's 80th birthday ― four more were released during Kim's lifetime and three posthumously through 1998.

The book series has been known for glorifying Kim's life with the fabrication of details as well.

There were attempts to publish the memoir in South Korea back in the 1990s, but they failed due to the potential violation of the National Security Law.

In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that "With the Century" fell into the category of anti-state material and thus banned it in South Korea, while upholding a one year jail term on a man who visited North Korea without government approval and obtained a copy of the books.

North Koreans visit a photo exhibition in Pyongyang to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the birth of the late North Korea founder Kim Il-sung, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, April 14. Yonhap

Publications from North Korea need approval before being brought to South Korea, but the unification ministry said it did not receive any notification from the publisher about the release of the book.

"The publisher in question has not consulted the unification ministry with regard to publishing With the Century," a ministry official said on condition of anonymity. "Nor did it apply for government approval before bringing in the material for the purpose of publication.

"We will look into how the books have been published and other issues and consider taking measures that we can take," the official said, without elaborating on what those measures could be.

Regarding the controversy of the law violation, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party, who is a member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, said it would be fine if the authorities guaranteed freedom of the press for the Kim Il-sung memoir, as South Koreans are mature enough to tell that it is fabricated.

"No one will be fooled by the Kim Il-sung memoir. A sizable portion of the books are falsified and South Koreans are not deceived by the idolization of Kim Il-sung, the despite flowery words. The idea of controlling all information regarding North Korea is treating South Koreans like babies," Ha wrote on Facebook, Thursday.

"If we ban North Korean books, we are not much different from North Korea banning hallyu. We should allow publications of North Korean books to emphasize the superiority of democracy guaranteeing freedom of the press," Ha added.

Political critic and former Dongyang University professor Chin Jung-kwon also said the memoir was a "fantasy novel."