Bookstore chain pulls memoir of North Korean founder over controversy

South Korea's biggest bookstore chain has ceased sales of memoir of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung following a legal and political controversy surrounding the eight-volume series.

On Wednesday, a local publishing 토토사이트 said it has begun selling the memoir, titled "With the Century," here for the first time since the books were published by the North Korean regime in the early 1990s.

The memoir, which mostly feature Kim's anti-Japanese fight, have sparked controversy as they are known to contain many fabrications about his life. The North's founder is the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un.

In the 1990s, a South Korean publisher tried in vain to sell the books here and came under investigation for allegedly violating the National Security Act.

In a meeting held Friday, Kyobo Book Center decided to ban sales of the series and remove the memoir from its online bookstore, according to sources.

"Considering a Supreme Court ruling that found that readers who purchase books violating the National Security Act can also be punished, we decided not to receive new orders to protect customers," a company official said.

The official, who explained that the decision was focused on protecting the customers rather than being affected by the political controversy, said the company will decide on resuming sales after decisions are made by the court or a national publication agency.