Retailers report brisk sales of books on the late Roh

SEOUL, May 25 (Yonhap) -- Sales of books related to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun have surged, local booksellers said Monday, as South Koreans mourn the death of their ex-leader who shocked the country by leaping to his death Saturday.

Sales of several non-fiction works featuring the late president as well as his
autobiography increased by some 350 percent over the weekend compared to the same
period last month, according to online bookseller Auction Books.
Books written by some of Roh's key confidants and supporters -- former Health
Minister Rhyu Si-min, actor Myung Gye-nam and Prof. Kang Jun-man -- are
especially popular, Auction said. Some of the books that have gone out of print
have appeared on its secondhand books trade section, it said.
Auction Book's competitor Interpark Books also reported a surge in the sales of
Roh's autobiography "Help Me Sweetheart." While only four copies of the books
were sold last month, nearly 600 copies were sold during the two-day-period from
Saturday, when Roh died in an apparent suicide, Interpark said.
South Korea's largest bookseller Kyobo Books said it has ordered more copies of
Roh-related books, many of which have been sold out in major chains nationwide.
Roh, 62, jumped from a mountainside rock while hiking in his regional hometown
early Saturday morning. He died a few hours later from external head injuries.
In a suicide note later found in his home computer, Roh spoke of emotional
suffering over an investigation into a bribery scandal that sent several of his
relatives and confidants to jail and tarnished his image as a "clean politician."
Having served as the country's president from 2003 to 2008, Roh became the third
former South Korean president to be summoned and questioned by prosecutors for
alleged corruption.
A left-wing politician and a self-taught human rights lawyer, Roh was elected the
country's leader backed by overwhelmingly strong support from the younger
generation.