In Just 3 Days After Release... Park Geun-hye Memoir Rises to Bestseller No. 1

Kyobo Bookstore Weekly Bestseller No.1
Stories Spanning 10 Years Since 2012

The memoir of former President Park Geun-hye, published on the 5th, has topped the overall bestseller list.

According to the Kyobo Bookstore weekly bestseller list (February 1?7) released on the 8th, "Park Geun-hye Memoir 1: From Darkness to the Future" ranked first overall, and "Park Geun-hye Memoir 2: From Darkness to the Future" ranked third overall. The book contains the story of former President Park Geun-hye over approximately ten years, from the end of 2012 after the 18th presidential election to March 2022 when she moved to her residence in Dalseong, Daegu Metropolitan City.

On the 5th, when former President Park Geun-hye's memoir was published, copies of "Park Geun-hye Memoir, Through Darkness to the Future" were stacked at a bookstore in downtown Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In the preface, former President Park explained the reason she decided to write the memoir, saying, "Publishing this book is neither out of regret for my past political life nor resentment toward fleeting relationships," and added, "Although I am the only president in constitutional history to have been impeached and removed from office, I believe it is my duty to the people to tell the story of my time in office and what followed as it is, beyond judgments of right and wrong." She described this sense of duty as the main reason as someone who served as president.

She also said, "By sharing my past experiences as president, whether they are achievements or mistakes, I hope that our country's politics will mature more than it is now by using these as a foundation, and based on this mature politics, I look forward to a future where the people of our country live better lives."

This book was planned by JoongAng Ilbo and published by reorganizing articles serialized by the JoongAng Ilbo special investigation team on The JoongAng Plus. As an appendix in the book, Volume 1 includes personal photos not previously released to the media, such as from former President Park's childhood and First Lady period, and Volume 2 contains unreleased photos from after her entry into politics and a record of major events of former President Park from January 16, 2013, when the Presidential Transition Committee was launched.

Meanwhile, former President Park held a book launch event at a hotel in Daegu on the 5th. At the event, she stated regarding her future plans, "I will not return to politics." She said, "Although I will not engage in politics, the love I have received from the people is immense and I am very grateful, so if there is any work I can do to repay that, I will do whatever it takes."