Jo Kwon Cornered by Consecutive Crime Testimonies... Will All Charges Be Proven?

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The full extent of the various corruption allegations committed by Cho Gwon (53), the younger brother of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, related to the school foundation Ungdonghakwon, is becoming clear. Although Cho has denied most of the charges so far, witnesses appearing in court are providing testimonies that support the prosecution's allegations. If this continues, it seems highly likely that the prosecution will succeed in proving Cho's guilt.

At the trial held on the 16th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21 (Presiding Judge Kim Miri), Kim, a former civil engineering manager at Goryeo General Construction who worked as the site manager during the construction of the new Ungdong Middle School building, testified as a witness, stating, "There was no subcontracting to Goryeo City Development in the civil engineering work." This testimony contradicts Cho's claim that Goryeo City Development, which he operated as CEO, received a subcontract from the primary contractor Goryeo General Construction. Kim said, "If there had been a subcontract, I, as the site manager, would have known."

Kim also said, "I have never heard that civil engineering work was being done on the tennis court." The contract that Cho allegedly signed with Goryeo General Construction includes a clause about building a tennis court on the hill behind the new school site. Kim's testimony supports the claim that the construction contract Cho made with Goryeo General Construction was fabricated. This aligns with the testimony of former Ungdonghakwon administrative officer Park, who appeared as a witness on the 9th and stated, "The seal on the subcontract contract is suspected to be forged."

During the trial, testimony also emerged that Cho shredded documents related to the Ungdonghakwon lawsuit ahead of a prosecution raid in August last year. Cho's former colleague Hwang testified, "I was instructed by Cho to borrow a shredder, so I obtained one," and added, "The day before the raid, while shredding documents with the words 'Ungdong' and 'lawsuit' on them, the shredder overheated and stopped."

Previously, Cho had denied most of the charges since the prosecution's investigation began. He admitted to receiving bribes in exchange for hiring teachers at Ungdonghakwon but completely denied the allegations of filing a false lawsuit claiming unpaid construction fees during the new school building project and attempting to destroy evidence ahead of the prosecution's investigation. However, as testimonies proving the charges continue to surface, the trial is increasingly likely to end in a guilty verdict.

Earlier, the prosecution indicted Cho on six charges, including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (breach of trust), bribery, obstruction of business, instruction to destroy evidence, evasion of compulsory execution, and harboring a criminal. A lawyer in Seocho-dong said, "If all charges are proven guilty, a heavy sentence is expected," adding, "For breach of trust alone, if the amount gained exceeds 5 billion won, the punishment can be life imprisonment or imprisonment for five years or more." Cho currently holds claims amounting to over 10 billion won, including interest, through a false lawsuit related to the Ungdonghakwon construction fees.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.