Defense Resumes a Day Before Sentencing of Cho Kuk's Brother... "Additional Deliberation Needed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Seong-pil] The first trial verdict for Cho Kwon, the younger brother of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was arrested and indicted on charges including recruitment corruption and sham lawsuits related to Woongdong Academy, has been postponed.

The Criminal Division 21 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Kim Mi-ri, which is handling Cho's case, announced on the 11th, "The sentencing hearing scheduled for the next day has been canceled, and the trial will resume on the 27th." The exact reason for resuming the trial has not been disclosed. A court official stated, "It is understood that this decision was made because additional examination is necessary." A prosecution official also said, "We have only confirmed the resumption of the trial in the system and have not been informed of the reasons."

With the decision to hold a hearing just one day before the scheduled sentencing, there is speculation that the court may have additional matters to examine before reaching a conclusion on the case. Typically, if new issues arise before sentencing or if the court deems that further clarification is needed on opinions presented by both the prosecution and the defendant, the court may postpone the sentencing.

Cho was brought to trial on charges of causing a total damage of approximately 11.5 billion KRW to Woongdong Academy by filing a false construction payment claim lawsuit against the academy, which was operated by the family of former Minister Cho Kuk. He was also indicted on charges of receiving about 100 million KRW in bribes under the pretext of recruiting teachers for Woongdong Academy between 2016 and 2017 and instructing two accomplices to destroy evidence.

At the sentencing hearing on the 22nd of last month, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Cho to six years in prison and impose a fine of 147 million KRW. In his final statement, Cho said, "I deeply regret causing social controversy and will accept legal punishment willingly." However, he denied the charges of evidence destruction and aiding a criminal, stating, "Those allegations are absolutely untrue."

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