[Chungmuro Book Cafe] Comforting Lives Weary from COVID-19 with Essays, Heo Ji-woong·Park Jin-young

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Cho Kuk, Heo Ji-woong, Park Jin-young. These are the figures that the bestseller market has focused on this week.

Asia Economy ranked the bestseller list based on book sales from the 12th to the 18th. The ranking is a comprehensive one that references sales rankings from major online and offline bookstores such as Kyobo Bookstore, Interpark, and Yes24, combined with ratings from Asia Economy reporters.

The book "Prosecutorial Reform and Candlelight Citizens," published on the 5th, ranked second. It was written by ten people including former Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Min-hee, Kyung Hee University Future Civilization Institute professor Kim Min-woong, and historian Jeon Woo-yong, and published under the name Cho Kuk White Paper Promotion Committee.

The controversy sparked when President Moon Jae-in nominated Cho Kuk, then Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, as Minister of Justice in August last year has shaken Korean society for over a year. The Cho Kuk White Paper Promotion Committee stated that they wrote the book to document the behavior of the prosecution and the media amid the controversy surrounding former Minister Cho and prosecutorial reform.

The book discusses how to view the controversy triggered by former Minister Cho, why prosecutorial reform is necessary, and examines how the media handled the situation at the time.

Broadcaster and writer Heo Ji-woong's essay "A Joke About Wanting to Live" attracted attention by ranking third on the bestseller list just one week after its release. The book was published on the 12th. The essay "What Do We Live For?" by singer Park Jin-young, published on the 15th, also quickly rose to eighth place, confirming the public's high interest. The high public recognition of both authors and the desire for comfort and courage amid the fatigue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be factors behind the books' popularity. Both Heo Ji-woong and Park Jin-young stated that they wrote for those exhausted and struggling with life.

Heo Ji-woong was once a successful broadcaster appearing on various programs. However, he suddenly disappeared from broadcasting. In 2018, he revealed that he was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma. "A Joke About Wanting to Live" is an essay recording his thoughts on life after battling malignant lymphoma. In the preface, Heo Ji-woong dedicates the book to those who have fallen into despair and given up struggling.

Park Jin-young also stated that he wrote for people who are tired because life is hard, lonely, lonely, empty, hollow, anxious, and fearful. He debuted as a singer while attending Yonsei University and quickly gained great popularity. He has now firmly established himself as the top domestic producer who has created many popular idol groups.

Park Jin-young's success was possible because of many failures and challenges. When it comes to worries about life and one's existence, people usually go through them during adolescence. However, he wrote that he only started worrying at the age of 40 and, because it was late, he made every effort to find a definite answer. He is 50 years old this year by Korean age.

Books about wealth such as the number one bestseller "The Nature of Money," "John Lee's Habits for Becoming Rich," "Kim Mi-kyung's Reboot," "The Great Wealth Migration," and "The Having" have been steadily popular for a long time. As uncertainty about the future has increased due to COVID-19, interest in how to increase and protect wealth has grown. Given the recent rapid increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Sarang Jeil Church incident, the popularity of these books is expected to continue for some time.

On the 15th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) raised social distancing to level 2 in the metropolitan area, causing hundreds of schools nationwide to suspend in-person classes again. Accordingly, the popularity of children's books is also expected to continue. "The Moment When Studying Becomes So Fun," which ranked ninth, is a steady seller in the youth category that helps readers want to study on their own. A special edition commemorating 100,000 copies was recently published.