At Choi Kang-wook's First Trial, When Asked About His Occupation, He Said "Lawyer on Leave"

Among the 21st General Election Winners, First to Appear in Court
"Citizens Have Already Judged"
"The Prosecutor Who Engaged in Politics Should Stand in Court"

Defense Attorney: "Denies Charges... Illegal Indictment"
Prosecution Reads Indictment... Submits 400 Evidence Items

Choi Kang-wook, a proportional representative-elect of the Open Democratic Party who was indicted for issuing a false internship certificate to the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, is answering reporters' questions as he enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 21st to attend the trial. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The first trial for Choi Kang-wook, the elected proportional representative of the Open Democratic Party (age 51), was held on the 21st at the Seoul Central District Court. It has been about three months since he was indicted on charges of obstruction of business. This is also the first trial where a 21st general election winner appears as a defendant.

On the morning of the 21st, around 9:45 a.m., Choi arrived at the Seoul Central District Court building together with former Ministry of Justice Prosecutor General Hwang Hee-seok. When asked by reporters whether he issued an internship certificate believing it would help the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's admission, he responded, "I am going to court today due to an illegal and political prosecution by the prosecution under the direction of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. I believe the judgment of the citizens has already been made." He added, "The ones who should really stand in court are the handful of prosecutors conducting prosecutorial politics. Now is the moment for the prosecution to be humble before the truth."

The trial began around 10 a.m. under the presiding of Judge Jeong Jong-geon of Criminal Division 9 at this court. When asked about his occupation by the judge, Choi replied, "A lawyer currently on leave." It is known that he did not submit an application to receive a jury trial.

Choi was indicted in January on charges of issuing a 'false internship certificate' claiming that the son of Minister Cho actually interned at his law office despite not actually working there in 2017. The Ministry of Justice decided to keep the indictment confidential, drawing attention from the legal community to the first trial. According to the Criminal Procedure Act, the prosecution can officially read the indictment at the first formal trial. The prosecution explained the gist of the indictment to the judge while handing over the indictment summarizing Choi's charges. They submitted a list of 400 pieces of evidence to the court to support the charges. The prosecution stated, "All evidence can serve as proof that the internship activities of former Minister Cho's son were false."

In response, the defense team of former secretary Choi argued that the son of former Minister Cho actually performed internship activities and that the indictment is an abuse of prosecutorial power. The defense attorney stated, "We deny all charges," and added, "The internship certificate was not falsely prepared, nor was there any fact that posed a risk of obstruction of business." Furthermore, "The defendant was never notified to appear as a suspect during the prosecution investigation process, so he could not exercise his right to defense," pointing out, "This is clearly an illegal indictment."

With the start of Choi's trial, trials for 15 other elected candidates from this general election will follow in succession. On the 23rd, trials for Han Byung-do and Hwang Un-ha, elected members of the Democratic Party of Korea, on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act will begin. The remaining 12 will face trial on the 28th for the National Assembly Fast-Track clash incident. The confirmed sentence that results in loss of parliamentary seat varies depending on the charges each individual faces; in Choi's case, if a sentence of imprisonment or higher is confirmed, he will lose his proportional representative seat.

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