Chang Ha-Joon's books banned in South Korea?

According to Iggy Mogo: "ha-joon chang. all his books are banned in his own country… and having them can even land you in jail, jail for a very long time (national security law of s. korea)."

As a microcosm of Chang's writings, the text is based on hyperbole and distortions. According to a Yonhap story, one of Chang's books is one 23 books banned by the South Korean military:

"The Constitutional Court on Thursday justified the military's ban on books labeled seditious, arguing that the prohibition serves to prevent the weakening of soldiers' spirits."

The defense ministry banned 23 books it categorized as subversive for pro-North Korea, anti-capitalism, anti-government or anti-U.S. contents. The list included "Bad Samaritans" by Chang Ha-jun, a Cambridge-educated Korean economist critical of capitalism, "The Global Trap" by Hans-Peter Martin, an Austrian journalist, as well as books about North Korea."

I stopped in Kyobo book store in downtown Seoul yesterday. Two of Chang's books were prominently displayed, in both English and Korean. Perhaps Iggy Mogo was referring to North Korea.

I'm not in favor of Chang's idiotic books being banned, but I was tempted to burn my own copy after reading his latest book. Next time, I may just burn the money or donate it to charity the next time I am tempted to buy one of his books.

And here's a photo of Bad Samartians, the book banned by the Korean military but for sale in downtown Seoul at a major book store.

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