Jin Joong-kwon: "Choi Kang-wook Must Reflect on and Apologize for His Immorality"

Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, demanded an apology from Choi Kang-wook, elected proportional representative of the Open Democratic Party and former Blue House Secretary for Public Office Discipline, who was indicted on charges of issuing a false internship certificate for the child of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, saying on the 21st, "It seems like he is trying to brush it off as if a snake is slipping over a wall, but law and morality clearly have different scopes."

In a post on his Facebook that day, he said, "What Choi Kang-wook should do now is to leave the judgment of whether the act was illegal to the court and reflect on and apologize for his immorality in issuing a fake internship certificate."

Earlier that morning, at the first trial held under Judge Jeong Jong-geon of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 9, Choi’s defense attorney claimed, "Cho’s son actually did the internship, and (Choi) only recorded this fact," and "the internship certificate was issued legally."

Regarding this, former professor Jin said, "In short, they are saying the internship certificate is fake but not illegal. If it were genuine, there would be no need to argue whether it is illegal or legal," adding, "Ultimately, they seem to want to say that the internship certificate is fake, but that is a matter of moral criticism, not a reason to indict for illegality."

He continued, "Not everything permitted by law is moral. By that logic, Yakuza who run businesses legally should all be considered moral people," and argued, "Morality has a broader scope than law. Law has a narrower scope and only regulates extreme cases of immorality."

He further stated, "Choi Kang-wook’s argument is that his act is not illegal, therefore it is not immoral. On the other hand, the prosecution’s position is that his act is illegal, therefore immoral," adding, "The maximum logical position he can take in this fight is that even if the act is immoral, it is not legally punishable."

Finally, former professor Jin emphasized to Choi Kang-wook, "It would be best to clearly admit that the internship certificate is fake and first reflect and apologize."

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