hankyoreh

called “A Middle-Aged Korean-American Woman Goes to North Korea”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has begun recalling a book written by Korean-American Shin Eun-mi, who was deported from the country after she was investigated on suspicion of violating the National Security Law. The Ministry explained that the book had been removed from a recommended list of “excellent works of literature,” but the book was not designated as a work that supports North Korea.

On Jan. 7, the Ministry contacted 1,200 libraries and public organizations around the country carrying Shin’s book, called “A Middle-Aged Korean-American Woman Goes to North Korea,” and asked them to return the book by Jan. 31. The Ministry indicated that it would cover the postage.

The books are supposed to be sent to the Arts Council Korea (ARKO).

“We were confused when the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism all of a sudden asked us to send them the book,” an employee at a library in Seoul who had received the official recall document said on Jan. 14.

After Shin’s book was designated by the Book Culture Foundation as an excellent work of literature in 2013, it was provided to libraries, welfare facilities, correctional facilities, and rehabilitation centers.

The project was sponsored by the Korea Lottery Commission, which is supervised by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and carried out by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Council Korea.

Unlike copies of the book that were sent to bookstores for sale, the books that were distributed by the government stated that they had been “designated as an excellent work of literature by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2013.”

“We decided to recall the book since its designation as an excellent work of literature had been revoked. If libraries continued to carry the book, it could cause unnecessary confusion or misunderstanding,” an official at the Ministry said.

On Dec. 30, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won noted the controversy about a book being recommended by the government as an excellent work of literature when the author of that book was being investigated on charges of violating the National Security Law. He ordered the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to carefully review how the book had been selected and to quickly take measures that would reassure the public.

On the same day, the Book Culture Foundation sent a notice to the Ministry urging them to retract the book’s selection, and on the following day the Ministry decided to remove the book from the recommended reading list.

In related news, the security investigation team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency arrested Hwang Seon, 41, director of the Heemang (Hope) Forum, on charges of praising, encouraging, and aiding the enemy under the National Security Law. Hwang is accused of making remarks praising the North Korean regime with Shin at lectures and through online broadcasts.

The arrest warrant was issued by Yun Gang-yeol, a judge at the Seoul Local Court. “Considering the severity of the charges and the danger of their being repeated, I acknowledge the necessity of the warrant,” Yun said.

By Park Tae-woo, staff reporter

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