Cho Kuk, former Minister of Justice. Reporter Hwang Jin-hwan
Prosecutors have sought a five-year prison sentence for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who was accused of corruption in his children’s entrance examination and ignoring inspections.
The prosecution requested that former Minister Cho be sentenced to five years in prison, an additional fine of 6 million won, and a fine of 12 million won in the former Minister Cho’s decision hearing held in the Court Criminal Agreement Seoul Central District 21-1 Division (Chief Judge Ma Seong-young, Kim Jeong-gon, and Jang Yong-beom) on the 2nd. A six-month prison sentence was sought for Roh Hwan-jung, head of the Busan Medical Center, who was also tried for giving a scholarship to former Minister Cho’s daughter.
There are three major charges against former Minister Cho. The corruption in the entrance exam is suspected of colluding with his wife, former Dongyang University professor Chung Kyung-sim, and submitting fake intern activity certificates to Korea University, Yonsei University, and National University Law School Chungbuk, which his son applied for in 2017 -2018. Former minister Cho is also accused of blocking the inspection team’s special inspection of former Busan City Vice Mayor Yoo Jae-soo while serving as the Blue House’s chief civil servant during the Moon Jae-in administration. Former Minister Cho was also accused of accepting bribes in the name of his daughter’s scholarship to Pusan National University Medical School.
The process of closing the pleas has been going on for three days, divided by the accusations against the former Minister Cho. On the 11th of this month, the defense of the allegation of ignoring the inspection of former vice mayor Yoo Jae-soo ended. Baek Won-woo, the former civil affairs secretary of the Blue House, and Park Hyeong-cheol, the former anti-corruption secretary of the Blue House, who were also charged in this regard, were sentenced to two years in prison and one year six months in prison, respectively. On the 18th of this month, the defense was terminated on the allegation of irregularities in the children’s entrance examination. His wife, Kyung-Shim Chung, a former professor at Dongyang University, was sentenced to two years in prison for being an accomplice in the case.
In the trial on that day, the procedure was held on charges of accepting bribes in the name of former Minister Cho’s daughter’s scholarship to Pusan National University Medical School. As the final judgment before the prosecution, the prosecution said, “There is no such thing as free food, so can unreasonable special treatment be free?” This is the reason why a scholarship was given to the student for the 4th, 5th and 6th time in a. row,” he noted. In particular, he emphasized that “the rule of law is not a profound theory” and that “the rule of law can immediately stand when the common and obvious common sense that anyone who does something wrong is be punished.”
In his final statement, former Minister Cho said, “After being nominated for Minister of Justice, I was attacked indiscriminately by the prosecution and the media,” and “every day was like a living hell.” “The thousands of text messages in my family’s PC became the subject of public ridicule and evidence of guilt,” he said. “I was helpless before the overwhelming prosecution force.” However, he said, “I reflect on the fact that I applied loose standards and reflect on the fact that I did not quite meet the expectations of many people.”
The court decided to end all arguments on this day and announce the verdict on February 3 next year. The sentences of Minister Cho’s ex-husband, Kyung-sim Chung, former Dongyang University professor, director Hwan-joong Roh, former Blue House civil affairs secretary Baek Won-woo, and former Blue House anti-corruption secretary Park Hyung-cheol were also sentenced. on the same day.
