In the wake of box-office success, the screenplay of the film "The King and the Clown" appears to be a smash hit in bookstores as well.
According to "Yes 24," an online bookstore, the film's original screenplay entitled "Yi" (爾), written by Kim Tae-woong, has broken the top ten of the arts and entertainment bestseller chart over the past two weeks.
The book finished sixth on the arts bestseller list as compiled by Kyobo Book Centre during the first week of January.
This latest book, which was published on Dec. 26 of last year, is a revised edition of Kim's collection of screenplays that was printed for the first time in 2003. The collection carries two screenplays, "Yi" and "Selling Like Hot Cakes."
With the popularity of "The King and the Clown" lending momentum, "Yes 24" has introduced books featuring characters from the film, including King Yonsangun, in the "Theme of the Week" section on its homepage. Such books include "Park Si-baek's Seventh Book on the Records of the Royal Joseon Court: Diaries of King Yonsangun" and "Defense of King Yonsangun."
"We sold 1,000 copies of the first edition in 2003. But 3,000 copies of the revised edition have already been sold only three weeks since its publication thanks to the popularity of the film. It's quite a phenomenon to see a collection of screenplays, not a novel, actually selling like hot cakes," said Lee Jung-ok, president of the publishing house "Pyongminsa," which published "Yi."
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