Time magazine’s Asia edition issue that featured then-presidential candidate Moon Jae-in on the cover is currently out of stock in South Korea’s main offline and online bookstores, according to sources in the industry.
Moon won the election in a landslide on Tuesday and was sworn in as president Wednesday.
Time magazine’s Asia edition issue features President Moon Jae-in on the cover. (Yonhap)
The May 4 issue, which bestowed the new president the nickname “The Negotiator,” delves into his political and diplomatic disposition.
Kyobo Bookstore said that 300 copies were sold on its online platform on Saturday, the first day it was in stock. The retailer started to accept additional orders, but temporarily suspended them after it became difficult to keep up with demand.
Online bookseller giant Yes24 said its 1,000 copies sold out within six hours, and they had received 10,000 extra orders Monday when sales opened again.
According to the magazine’s South Korean publisher UPA, it plans to print 20,000 extra copies of the issue, a rarity in the industry.
Other books either written by Moon himself or dedicated to the president are also selling well. Sales of his autobiography, “Fate of Moon Jae-in,” quadrupled following his inauguration at several local bookstores, according to an industry source.
The Time issue is considered to have acted as a media platform propelling Moon to the global spotlight.
By Jung Min-kyung (
mkjung@heraldcorp.com)
